struggling

(verb) make a strenuous or labored effort. Synonyms: fight, struggle. Examples: "She struggled for years to survive without welfare." "He fought for breath."

(verb) to exert strenuous effort against opposition. Synonyms: struggle. Example: "He struggled to get free from the rope."

(verb) climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling. Synonyms: clamber, scramble, shin, shinny, skin, struggle, sputter.

(verb) be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight. Synonyms: contend, fight, struggle. Examples: "The tribesmen fought each other." "Siblings are always fighting." "Militant groups are contending for control of the country."

(adj) engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity. Examples: "A financially struggling theater." "Struggling artists."