To put forth a great and tenacious effort to attain or accomplish something, especially that which is uncertain or intangible. I have spent my career as an artist striving after beauty and truth in their most ideal forms. You should spend less time striving after the praise and acceptance of others.

To put forth a great and tenacious effort to prevent or oppose something. My great-grandfather gave his life striving against tyranny and oppression. The local community has been striving against the economic decline with a number of initiatives to keep people employed.

To put forth a great and tenacious effort to attain or accomplish something. I could tell she was striving for that promotion by how hard she'd been working recently. Our organization has been striving for peace in this region for the last ten years. You should always strive for excellence, but striving for perfection is a fool's errand.

To put forth a great and tenacious effort to do or accomplish something. Our team has striven to create the most realistic computer-generated effects ever seen. We are striving to bring peace to the war-torn region.

To put forth a great and tenacious effort in order to achieve or approach some particular goal. You should always strive toward excellence, but striving toward perfection is a fool's errand. I'm striving toward a 4.0 this semester, but it's going to be tough.