STRIVE

strive, reach, strain

(verb) to exert much effort or energy; “straining our ears to hear”

endeavor, endeavour, strive

(verb) attempt by employing effort; “we endeavor to make our customers happy”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology 1

Verb

strive (third-person singular simple present strives, present participle striving, simple past strived or strove, past participle strived or (nonstandard, colloquial) strove or striven)

To try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently.

To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest.

To vie; to compete as a rival.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See English catenative verbs

• The strong or irregular forms "strove" and "striven" are more commonly used in print than "strived".

Etymology 2

Noun

strive (plural strives)

(obsolete) Alternative form of strife

Anagrams

• Rivets, Stiver, rivest, rivets, stiver, tivers, verist

Source: Wiktionary

Strive, v. i. [imp. Strove; p. p. Striven (Rarely, Strove); p. pr. & vb. n. Striving.] Etym: [OF. estriver; of Teutonic origin, and akin to G. streben, D. streven, Dan. stræbe, Sw. sträfva. Cf. Strife.]

1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard. Was for this his ambition strove To equal Cæsar first, and after, Jove Cowley.

2. 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. 3. Why dost thou strive against him Job xxxiii. 13. Now private pity strove with public hate, Reason with rage, and eloquence with fate. Denham.

3. 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.

Syn.

– To contend; vie; struggle; endeavor; aim.

Strive, n.

1. An effort; a striving. [R.] Chapman.

2. Strife; contention. [Obs.] Wyclif (luke xxi. 9).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition