Strive for vs. Strive to – Which is Correct?

Both strive for and strive to are correct, but they follow different grammatical patterns. Strive for precedes a noun or noun phrase, while strive to precedes the base form of a verb. Use strive for a goal, and use strive to describe an action you are working diligently to achieve.

Strive for or Strive to – Which is Correct?

Strive for and strive to are both correct expressions, but they are followed by different types of words. Use strive for before a noun or noun phrase when describing a goal, result, or quality. Use strive to before the base form of a verb when describing an action someone is making an effort to perform.

For example, you can strive for excellence, because “excellence” is a noun. You can also strive to improve, because “improve” is a verb.

The Best Trick to Remember the Difference

Use the noun-versus-verb test: strive for + thing, but strive to + action. If the word after the expression names a goal or result, choose for. If it describes something someone does, choose to.

A useful swap test is to compare these two sentences:

• We strive for accuracy. “Accuracy” is the goal.
• We strive to work accurately. “Work” is the action.

How to Use Strive for

Use strive for when the object of the preposition is a noun or noun phrase representing an aim, standard, condition, or outcome. Common collocations include strive for success, strive for excellence, strive for equality, strive for balance, and strive for perfection.

The expression is usually more formal and purposeful than simply saying “try to get.” It appears frequently in professional writing, academic discussions, business statements, motivational language, and descriptions of personal ambitions.

Example 1: The organization strives for greater transparency in all its decisions.

Example 2: Successful leaders often strive for a balance between innovation and stability.

Example 3: The athlete continues to strive for a place on the national team.

What are the different forms of Strive for?

The verb strive has several forms. Its present-tense form is strive, and the third-person singular form is strives. The present participle is striving. The past tense and past participle are commonly strove and striven, although strived is also used, especially in modern informal or general writing.

• Present: I strive for accuracy.
• Third-person singular: She strives for improvement.
• Past: They strove for equality.
• Past participle: He has striven for excellence throughout his career.
• Present participle: We are striving for a better result.

Etymology of the word Strive for

Strive comes from the Middle English word striven, which developed from Old French and ultimately reflects a Latin root associated with quarrelling or competition. Over time, its meaning broadened from struggling or contending to making a determined effort toward a goal. The preposition for identifies the goal being pursued.

How to Use Strive to

Use strive to when it is followed by the base form of a verb. This construction focuses on the action someone is attempting or working hard to perform. Common examples include strive to improve, strive to succeed, strive to understand, strive to help, and strive to become.

Strive to is appropriate in both formal and neutral everyday English. It often emphasizes effort, determination, and an ongoing attempt rather than guaranteed success.

Example 1: The company strives to provide reliable service to every customer.

Example 2: Researchers strive to understand how the disease develops.

Example 3: She strives to make each lesson accessible to all students.

What are the different forms of Strive to?

The forms of strive remain the same when it is followed by to. The word after to should normally be the verb’s base form, such as strive to learn, not strive to learning. In the past tense, use either strove to or strived to; strove to is traditionally preferred, while strived to is also widely accepted.

• Present: We strive to improve.
• Third-person singular: He strives to communicate clearly.
• Past: They strove to solve the problem.
• Past participle: She has striven to remain impartial.
• Present participle: The team is striving to reach its target.

Etymology of the word Strive to

The verb strive has the same history in strive to as in strive for. The expression combines this verb of determined effort with the infinitive marker to. In this structure, to connects strive with an action that the subject is attempting to perform.

Related Concepts

Understanding the difference between objects and actions makes it easier to choose between strive for and strive to.

• Prepositional phrases: In strive for excellence, for is a preposition introducing the noun phrase excellence. It connects the effort with the goal being pursued.
• Infinitives: In strive to improve, to improve is an infinitive phrase. The verb improve remains in its base form after to.
• Transitive verbs: Strive can connect an effort to a goal through a preposition, as in strive for progress, or to an action through an infinitive, as in strive to progress.
• Verb-noun collocations: Some nouns commonly follow strive for, including success, excellence, justice, balance, and accuracy.

Examples from Media and Literature

The distinction appears naturally in professional writing, speeches, journalism, and literature. The following examples demonstrate the two grammatical patterns:

• Business writing: A company mission statement may say that the organization “strives for excellence” in customer service.
• News reporting: A report about climate policy may explain that governments “strive to reduce emissions.”
• Academic writing: A research paper may state that scholars “strive for objectivity” while they “strive to test their assumptions.”
• Biographical writing: A biography may describe an artist who “strove to develop a unique style” and “strove for artistic independence.”
• Motivational literature: A personal-development book may encourage readers to “strive for meaningful goals” and “strive to become more resilient.”

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

1. The students strive ___ excellence in their final projects. (for or to)
2. The students strive ___ complete their final projects on time. (for or to)
3. The organization strives ___ equality in the workplace. (for or to)
4. The organization strives ___ treat every employee fairly. (for or to)
5. Good editors strive ___ make every sentence clear. (for or to)

Answer Key

1. for — “Excellence” is a noun and names the goal.
2. to — “Complete” is a verb describing an action.
3. for — “Equality” is a noun and names the desired result.
4. to — “Treat” is a verb describing the action.
5. to — “Make” is a verb describing the action.

Strive for Synonyms

Strive to Synonyms

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Is it correct to say “strive for success”?
Yes. Success is a noun that names the goal, so strive for success is grammatically correct.

Question 2: Is it correct to say “strive to succeed”?
Yes. Succeed is a verb, so it correctly follows the infinitive pattern strive to + base verb.

Question 3: Can I say “strive for improving”?
Usually, no. The natural choices are strive for improvement, with the noun improvement, or strive to improve, with the base verb improve.

Question 4: What is the difference between “strive for excellence” and “strive to excel”?
The meaning is nearly the same, but the grammar differs. Excellence is a noun, so it follows strive for. Excel is a verb, so it follows strive to.

Question 5: Is “strive” a formal word?
Strive is suitable in both neutral and formal English. It is especially common in professional, academic, motivational, and public-facing writing.

Conclusion

Strive for and strive to are both correct. Choose strive for before a noun that names a goal, such as strive for success. Choose strive to before a base-form verb that names an action, such as strive to succeed. Pro tip: using the correct pattern strengthens the clarity and professionalism of your writing.