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démener

to struggle hard

verb deh-meh-NEH Rare
Body & Health Movement

Also means

to throw oneself into

Usage Note

Démener is almost always used reflexively as se démener, meaning to thrash about physically or, more commonly, to go to great lengths and work very hard for something. The phrase se démener comme un beau diable vividly describes someone putting up a fierce fight or making a frantic effort.

Examples

"Elle s'est démenée pour trouver une solution."

Natural Translation

She struggled hard to find a solution.

Literal Translation

She threw herself about to find a solution.

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