Fight vs. Struggle — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 1, 2023
Fight is a physical or metaphorical confrontation or competition. Struggle is an effortful attempt to achieve something or overcome difficulties.
Difference Between Fight and Struggle
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fight often implies a confrontation or conflict, sometimes physical, involving combat or competition. Struggle refers to a strenuous effort or an endeavor in the face of difficulty or resistance.
A fight might be a brief, intense clash, possibly violent, like a boxing match or a heated argument. Struggle, however, usually suggests a more prolonged effort, such as a struggle for independence or against adversity.
Fights are often between two parties, each actively working against the other, like a legal fight or a street fight. Struggles can be internal, like struggling with one's conscience, or external, like struggling against a storm.
While a fight might suggest aggression and a will to dominate or emerge victorious, a struggle implies a challenge, often against something larger or more powerful than oneself, like struggling against injustice.
Both words can be used metaphorically: one can fight a disease or fight for one's rights; similarly, one can struggle with an idea or struggle to maintain composure.
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Comparison Chart
Connotation
Aggression, competition
Effort, challenge
Duration
Can be short and decisive
Often prolonged
Nature
Physical or metaphorical conflict
Effort against difficulties
Participants
Usually two opposing sides
Can be an individual or group
Use in Metaphor
Fight a battle, fight for rights
Struggle with emotions, struggle for freedom
Compare with Definitions
Fight
Physical combat
The duel was a legendary fight.
Struggle
Effort against obstacles
Their struggle for freedom lasted years.
Fight
Sporting contest
The championship fight drew a huge crowd.
Struggle
Economic hardship
The family's financial struggle is ongoing.
Fight
Battle against illness
He continues to fight cancer.
Struggle
Laborious task
The struggle to summit was intense.
Fight
Take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons
Cameron fought back as hard as he could
Protesters fought with police
The men were fighting
Struggle
Internal conflict
He faced an inner struggle with his conscience.
Fight
Struggle to overcome, eliminate, or prevent
A churchman who has dedicated his life to fighting racism
The company intends to fight the decision
Struggle
To exert muscular energy, as against a material force or mass
Struggled with the heavy load.
Fight
A violent confrontation or struggle
He'd got into a fight with some bouncers outside a club
Struggle
To be strenuously engaged with a problem, task, or undertaking
Struggled for years before breaking through as an actor.
Fight
To attempt to harm or gain power over an adversary by blows or with weapons.
Struggle
To have difficulty or make a strenuous effort doing something
Struggled to be polite.
Fight
(Sports) To engage in a boxing match or other similar contest.
Struggle
To move or progress with difficulty
Struggled up the steep slope.
Fight
To engage in a quarrel; argue
They are always fighting about money.
Struggle
To contend or compete
"Right and wrong ... will ever continue to struggle" (Abraham Lincoln).
Fight
To strive vigorously and resolutely, as in trying to overcome something; contend
Fought against graft.
Fighting for her rights.
Struggle
To move or place (something) with an effort
Struggled the heavy desk into the elevator.
Fight
To contend with or oppose with violence or in battle.
Struggle
The act of struggling
The rat's struggle to escape the snake's coils.
Fight
To wage or carry on (a battle).
Struggle
A strenuous effort in the face of difficulty
The struggle for civil rights.
Fight
To contend for, as by combat
“I now resolved that Calais should be fought to the death” (Winston S. Churchill).
Struggle
Strife, contention, or combat
Armed struggle.
Fight
(Sports) To take part in a boxing match or other similar contest with (an opponent).
Struggle
Something that is difficult to do or achieve
Getting him to agree will be a struggle.
Fight
To participate in (a boxing match or other similar contest).
Struggle
A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
Fight
To cause (a boxer or other contestant) to fight in a match.
Struggle
(figurative) Strife, contention, great effort.
Fight
To contend with or struggle against
Fought his boss over every penny.
Fought temptation.
Struggle
To strive, to labour in difficulty, to fight (for or against), to contend.
During the centuries, the people of Ireland struggled constantly to assert their right to govern themselves.
Fight
To try to prevent the development or success of
Fought the attempt to close the school.
Struggle
To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
She struggled to escape from her assailant's grasp.
Fight
To try to extinguish (an uncontrolled fire).
Struggle
To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
Fight
To make (one's way) by struggle or striving
Fought my way to the top.
Struggle
To use great efforts; to labor hard; to strive; to contend forcibly; as, to struggle to save one's life; to struggle with the waves; to struggle with adversity.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it [Gettysburg] far above our power to add or detract.
Fight
A confrontation between opposing groups in which each attempts to harm or gain power over the other, as with bodily force or weapons.
Struggle
To labor in pain or anguish; to be in agony; to labor in any kind of difficulty or distress.
'T is wisdom to beware,And better shun the bait than struggle in the snare.
Fight
A physical conflict between two or more individuals.
Struggle
A violent effort or efforts with contortions of the body; agony; distress.
Fight
A boxing match.
Struggle
Great labor; forcible effort to obtain an object, or to avert an evil.
Fight
A contest in kickboxing, any of the mixed martial arts, or a similar sport.
Struggle
Contest; contention; strife.
An honest might look upon the struggle with indifference.
Fight
A quarrel or conflict
Newlyweds having a fight over chores.
Struggle
An energetic attempt to achieve something;
Getting through the crowd was a real struggle
He fought a battle for recognition
Fight
A struggle to achieve an objective
A fight for the attainment of civil rights.
Struggle
An open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals);
The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph
Police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs
Fight
The power or inclination to fight; pugnacity
I just didn't have any fight left in me.
Struggle
Strenuous effort;
The struggle to get through the crowd exhausted her
Fight
(intransitive) To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc.
A wounded animal will fight like a maniac, relentless, savage and murderous.
Struggle
Make a strenuous or labored effort;
She struggled for years to survive without welfare
He fought for breath
Fight
(reciprocal) To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle etc.
The two boxers have been fighting for more than half an hour.
Struggle
To exert strenuous effort against opposition;
He struggled to get free from the rope
Fight
(intransitive) To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.
He fought for the Democrats in the last election.
Struggle
Climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
Fight
(transitive) To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare etc.).
The battle was fought just over that hill.
Struggle
Be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight;
The tribesmen fought each other
Siblings are always fighting
Fight
(transitive) To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with.
My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II.
Struggle
Hard endeavor
She had a struggle with her emotions.
Fight
(transitive) To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.
The government pledged to fight corruption.
Fight
To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight.
To fight cocks; to fight one's ship
Fight
(intransitive) Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize.
Fight
An occasion of fighting.
One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight.
Fight
(archaic) A battle between opposing armies.
Fight
A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.
Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?
Fight
(sports) A boxing or martial arts match.
I'm going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night.
Fight
A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.
I'll put up a fight to save this company.
Fight
(uncountable) The will or ability to fight.
That little guy has a bit of fight in him after all.
As soon as he saw the size of his opponent, all the fight went out of him.
Fight
(obsolete) A screen for the combatants in ships; an arming.
Fight
To strive or contened for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; - followed by with or against.
You do fight against your country's foes.
To fight with thee no man of arms will deign.
Fight
To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance.
Fight
To carry on, or wage, as a conflict, or battle; to win or gain by struggle, as one's way; to sustain by fighting, as a cause.
He had to fight his way through the world.
I have fought a good fight.
Fight
To contend with in battle; to war against; as, they fought the enemy in two pitched battles; the sloop fought the frigate for three hours.
Fight
To cause to fight; to manage or maneuver in a fight; as, to fight cocks; to fight one's ship.
Fight
A battle; an engagement; a contest in arms; a combat; a violent conflict or struggle for victory, between individuals or between armies, ships, or navies, etc.
Who now defies thee thrice to single fight.
Fight
A struggle or contest of any kind.
Fight
Strength or disposition for fighting; pugnacity; as, he has a great deal of fight in him.
Fight
A screen for the combatants in ships.
Up with your fights, and your nettings prepare.
Fight
The act of fighting; any contest or struggle;
A fight broke out at the hockey game
There was fighting in the streets
The unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap
Fight
An intense verbal dispute;
A violent fight over the bill is expected in the Senate
Fight
A boxing match;
The fight was on television last night
Fight
A hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war;
Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga
He lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement
Fight
An aggressive willingness to compete;
The team was full of fight
Fight
Be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight;
The tribesmen fought each other
Siblings are always fighting
Fight
Fight against or resist strongly;
The senator said he would oppose the bill
Don't fight it!
Fight
Make a strenuous or labored effort;
She struggled for years to survive without welfare
He fought for breath
Fight
Exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for;
The liberal party pushed for reforms
She is crusading for women's rights
The Dean is pushing for his favorite candidate
Fight
Verbal argument
Their debate turned into a fight.
Fight
Strive against opposition
She will fight for justice.
Common Curiosities
Are all physical confrontations considered fights?
Generally, yes, but context matters for a precise definition.
Does 'struggle' always imply success at the end?
No, 'struggle' does not guarantee success, only effort.
Can 'fight' ever mean a peaceful contest?
Yes, in sports or competitions, a fight can be a nonviolent match.
Can one fight against non-physical entities?
Yes, one can fight against things like injustice or disease.
Are 'fight' and 'struggle' interchangeable?
Not always; they have distinct nuances and appropriate contexts.
Can 'struggle' refer to a group's efforts?
Yes, groups can struggle collectively for a common cause.
Is it correct to say one struggles with an easy task?
If the task is unexpectedly challenging for the individual, yes.
Is 'fight' used metaphorically?
Yes, 'fight' is often used metaphorically to describe non-physical conflicts.
Does 'struggle' imply a longer duration than 'fight'?
Typically, 'struggle' suggests a more prolonged effort.
Are fights always between humans?
No, animals can fight, or it can refer to conflicts between entities like companies.
Can 'struggle' be used casually?
Yes, 'struggle' can describe everyday difficulties, like struggling with a jar lid.
Do all struggles involve opposition?
Yes, a struggle involves opposition, either internal or external.
Can a fight be part of a struggle?
Yes, a fight can be a specific event within a broader struggle.
Does 'struggle' always have a serious tone?
Often, but it can be used lightly to describe minor challenges.
Is 'struggle' used in a positive context?
It can be, especially when it highlights perseverance.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
