What does strive mean?
Word: Strive
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Strive means to try very hard, again and again, to do or get something.
Synonyms: try, struggle, attempt
Antonyms: give up, quit
How do you spell strive?
Syllables: strive
Tricky part: The i says its own name because of the silent e at the end. Without the e you get striv, which is not a word.
Watch out for: striv, stryve, strieve
Memory tip: The silent e at the end is a helper: it makes the i say its name, as it does in kite and bike.
Strive in a sentence
Example 1: Athletes strive for a place in the national team.
Example 2: Our class will strive to keep the garden clean this term.
Example 3: Thomas kept striving until he finally solved the puzzle.
Fun Fact
Strive came into English from the Old French estriver, which meant to quarrel or compete. Over time the idea of struggling against someone became struggling to get something done.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
strive
a) endeavour
b) avoid
c) relax
d) abandon
Show answer
a) endeavour. To endeavour is to make a serious effort, which is what striving means.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our team will stirve to finish the science project before the summer holidays.
a) project
b) holidays
c) finish
d) stirve
Show answer
d) stirve. The r comes straight after st, just as it does in strong and street.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) determind
b) acheive
c) effert
d) strive
Show answer
d) strive. Achieve puts i before e, and the other two should be determined and effort, so strive is the one spelt right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who in these sentences is striving?
a) Meera listened to the song on the radio at night.
b) Meera forgot the words of the song at the show.
c) Meera practised the song daily until she got it right.
d) Meera sang the song once and then went out to play.
Show answer
c) Meera practised the song daily until she got it right.
2. Which saying is closest in meaning to strive?
a) Look before you leap.
b) Early to bed, early to rise.
c) Try, try again.
d) Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Show answer
c) Try, try again.
