strove

[strohv] / stroʊv /

VERB

try for, exert oneself

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aim endeavor go all out seek tackle

STRONG

assay attempt compete contend drive essay fight hassle jockey labor moil offer push scramble strain struggle sweat toil tug work

WEAK

bear down bend over backward break one's neck do one's best do one's utmost go after go for broke go for the jugular go the limit knock oneself out leave no stone unturned make every effort shoot for take on try hard

Antonyms

STRONGEST

neglect

STRONG

agree discourage dissuade idle laze make peace relax repress rest surrender yield

WEAK

forget skip

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the era of high-risk high-reward batting, where contributions were not measured in milestones, Samson became the folk hero who strove only for high impact and was rewarded with consistency by the cricketing gods.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

And, like you said, the pitfalls that you strove to avoid as you were coming up in this business.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Less attention has been paid to the ways in which enslaved people strove for emancipation through acts of resistance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

A 2022 Nature study strove to settle the debate, presenting evidence that Spinosaurus was an underwater hunter.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 8, 2024

I strove to wake, to brush aside those pathetic flutterings, but strive as I would I could not...at last I sat up, sleep and dream alike banished, wide awake now.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya