What does "strive" mean?
Strive: To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest; -- followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth. Chaucer. My Spirit shall not always strive with man. Gen. vi.
Additional senses
- 2.Why dost thou strive against him Job xxxiii.
- 3.Now private pity strove with public hate, Reason with rage, and eloquence with fate. Denham.
- 4.To vie; to compete; to be a rival. Chaucer. [Not] that sweet grove Of Daphne, by Orontes and the inspired Castalian spring, might with this paradise Of Eden strive. Milton.
- 5.An effort; a striving. [R.] Chapman.
- 6.Strife; contention. [Obs.] Wyclif (luke xxi. 9).
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00