struggling for a living vs struggle for a living

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Struggling for a living' implies ongoing difficulty in making a living, while 'struggle for a living' refers to the act of striving or fighting to earn a living. The choice between them depends on whether you want to emphasize the continuous nature of the struggle or the action of striving.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 4639 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe ongoing difficulty in making a living.

"struggling for a living"

This phrase is used to convey the idea of facing continuous challenges or difficulties in earning a livelihood.

Examples:

Many families are struggling for a living due to the economic downturn.
She has been struggling for a living ever since she lost her job.
The documentary sheds light on the lives of people struggling for a living in impoverished areas.

Show examples from the web [+]

Those operators running small businesses are now struggling to earn a living under the new Regulations.
Yes, there's a struggling actress living there.
We hope that there will be results from this discussion, which for a long time now has been plaguing our feelings and our thoughts, mainly of innocent people struggling to make a living at sea.
Will it address the fundamental concerns of 450 million people struggling to earn a living or find solutions to everyday problems?
Does it find the CAP healthy when genuine farmers - in the UK at least - are struggling to make a living?
Morocco has been occupying Western Sahara since 1975 and today, approximately 160000 people are living in refugee camps in the desert and struggling for independence.
For decades we have been struggling to keep the archipelagos alive and to make it possible both to live and earn a living there.
I know you're struggling for cash.
And the German king is struggling for his crown.
He may cough at me violently while struggling for breath.
I've been struggling for a name for this little madam.
My mam always said it like that when she was struggling for adjectives.
I know you're struggling for cash.
There is nothing... fool... struggling for freedom.
We would be helping the reformers in these societies, who are struggling for change.
The EP has been struggling for many years to extend codecision to most subjects.
Ego and id, struggling for domination.
But I had been struggling for it for many years.
Everyone in this parking lot is struggling for control.
Moreover, the national parliaments have historically been carried forward by parties and movements struggling for democratic and civil rights.

Alternatives:

striving for a living
working hard to make ends meet
battling to earn a living
facing financial challenges
struggling to survive

This phrase is correct and commonly used to describe the act of striving or fighting to earn a living.

"struggle for a living "

This phrase is used to emphasize the effort or fight involved in earning a livelihood.

Examples:

Many people in developing countries struggle for a living by working multiple jobs.
She had to struggle for a living after her business went bankrupt.
The novel portrays the protagonist's relentless struggle for a living.

Show examples from the web [+]

The report approved by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs covers significant aspects of the struggle for better living and working conditions, with greater protection of health and safety.
Tesco, for example, recently announced profits of GBP 2.8 billion, while food producers in my constituency struggle to make a living.
The struggles of living in this third-world atmosphere have become most evident in the higher infant-mortality rate and the risk of dependency on Western aid.
And the dead will be commemorated... and will struggle on with the living... and we're not going away.
While people are still living, they should struggle for life!
It would be a struggle to even eke a living out for a few years.
Dying organisms struggle for their last breath.
This has been a terrible struggle for me.
Each ribbon, a song left behind in the struggle for freedom.
Every man needs to struggle for his own authority, Ginger.
Still deep divisions remain, and the struggle for reconciliation continues.
In the struggle for the Promised Land...
It comments on the Latino struggle for justice in America.
The struggle for survival is a key to the true potential of man.
But with them comes great struggle for all of us.
The Revolution was a struggle for the creation of America.
World War ll was a struggle for the protection of America.
Thirty-six nations are embroiled in a struggle for the survival of the fittest.
Recovery was a real struggle for Maria.
Lucky is engaged in a struggle for the future of his line.

Alternatives:

strive for a living
fight to earn a living
work hard to make ends meet
battle to survive financially
struggle to provide for oneself

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struggling for a living vs struggle for a living