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strike
[ strahyk ]
verb (used with object)
- to deal a blow or stroke to (a person or thing), as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; hit.
Antonyms: miss
- to inflict, deliver, or deal (a blow, stroke, attack, etc.).
- to drive so as to cause impact:
to strike the hands together.
- to thrust forcibly:
Brutus struck a dagger into the dying Caesar.
- to produce (fire, sparks, light, etc.) by percussion, friction, etc.
- to cause (a match) to ignite by friction.
- (of some natural or supernatural agency) to smite or blast:
Lightning struck the spire. May God strike you dead!
- to come into forcible contact or collision with; hit into or against:
The ship struck a rock.
- to reach or fall upon (the senses), as light or sound:
A shrill peal of bells struck their ears.
- to enter the mind of; occur to:
A happy thought struck him.
- to catch or arrest (the sight, hearing, etc.):
the first object that strikes one's eye.
- to impress strongly:
a picture that strikes one's fancy.
- to impress in a particular manner:
How does it strike you?
- to come across, meet with, or encounter suddenly or unexpectedly:
to strike the name of a friend in a newspaper.
- to come upon or find (oil, ore, etc.) in drilling, prospecting, or the like.
- to send down or put forth (a root), as a plant or cutting.
- to arrive at or achieve by or as by balancing:
to strike a balance; to strike a compromise.
- to take apart or pull down (a structure or object, as a tent).
- to remove from the stage (the scenery and properties of an act or scene):
to strike a set.
- Nautical.
- to lower or take down (a sail, mast, etc.).
- to lower (a sail, flag, etc.) as a salute or as a sign of surrender.
- to lower (something) into the hold of a vessel by means of a rope and tackle.
- Falconry. to loosen (a hood) from the head of a hawk so that it may be instantly removed.
- Angling.
- to hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by making a sharp jerk on the line.
- (of a fish) to snatch at (the bait).
- to harpoon (a whale).
- (in technical use) to make level or smooth.
- to make level or even, as a measure of grain or salt, by drawing a strickle across the top.
- to efface, cancel, or cross out, with or as with the stroke of a pen (usually followed by out ):
to strike a passage out of a book.
- to impress or stamp (a coin, medal, etc.) by printing or punching:
to strike a medal in commemoration.
- to remove or separate with or as if with a cut (usually followed by off ):
Illness struck him off from social contacts. The butcher struck off a chop.
- Masonry. to finish (a mortar joint) with a stroke of the trowel.
- to indicate (the hour of day) by a stroke or strokes, as a clock:
to strike 12.
- to afflict suddenly, as with disease, suffering, or death (often followed by down ):
The plague struck Europe. Apoplexy struck him down.
- to overwhelm emotionally, as with terror or fear; affect deeply.
- to make blind, dumb, etc., suddenly, as if by a blow.
- to implant or induce (a feeling):
to strike fear into a person.
- to start or move suddenly into (vigorous movement):
The horse struck a gallop.
- to assume (an attitude or posture):
He likes to strike a noble pose.
- to cause (chill, warmth, etc.) to pass or penetrate quickly.
- to come upon or reach in traveling or in a course of procedure:
We struck Rome before dark.
- to make, conclude, or ratify (an agreement, treaty, etc.).
- to estimate or determine (a mean or average).
- to leave off (work) or stop (working) as a coercive measure, or as at the close of the day.
- (of a union or union member)
- to declare or engage in a suspension of (work) until an employer grants certain demands, such as pay increases, an improved pension plan, etc.
- to declare or engage in a suspension of work against (a factory, employer, industry, etc.) until certain demands are met.
- to draw (a straight line); paint the edge of an area with (a regular, usually straight line).
- Law. to choose (a jury) from a panel by striking off names until only the required number remains.
verb (used without object)
- to deal or aim a blow or stroke, as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer.
- to make an attack, especially a planned military assault:
Our troops struck at dawn.
- to knock, rap, or tap.
- to hit or dash on or against something, as a moving body does; come into forcible contact; collide.
- to run upon a bank, rock, or other obstacle, as a ship does.
- to fall, as light or sound does (followed by on or upon ).
- to make an impression on the mind, senses, etc., as something seen or heard.
- to come suddenly or unexpectedly (usually followed by on or upon ):
to strike on a new way of doing a thing.
- to sound by percussion:
The clock strikes.
- to be indicated by or as by such percussion:
The hour has struck.
- to ignite or be ignited by friction, as a match.
- to make a stroke, as with the arms or legs in swimming or with an oar in rowing.
- to produce a sound, music, etc., by touching a string or playing upon an instrument.
- to take root, as a slip of a plant.
- to go, proceed, or advance, especially in a new direction:
They struck out at dawn. They struck toward a new town.
- U.S. Army. to act as a voluntary paid servant to a commissioned officer.
- U.S. Navy. to work hard: strive (followed by for ):
He is striking for yeoman.
- (of a union or union member) to engage in a suspension of work until an employer or industry meets certain demands.
- Nautical.
- to lower the flag or colors, especially as a salute or as a sign of surrender.
- to run up the white flag of surrender.
- Angling. (of fish) to swallow or take the bait.
noun
- an act or instance of striking.
- a concerted stopping of work or withdrawal of workers' services, as to compel an employer to accede to workers' demands or in protest against terms or conditions imposed by an employer.
- a temporary stoppage of something.
- Also called strike plate. a metal plate on a jamb holding the bolt of the lock on a door when closed.
- Baseball.
- a pitch that is swung at and missed by the batter.
- a pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.
- a foul tip caught by the catcher when there are already two strikes against the batter.
- a foul bunt when there are already two strikes against the batter.
- a ball hit foul and not caught on the fly when there are less than two strikes against the batter.
- Bowling.
- the knocking down of all of the pins with the first bowl.
- the score so made. Compare spare ( def 22 ).
- Horology. the striking mechanism of a timepiece.
- Brewing. the degree of excellence or strength of beer, ale, etc.
- Angling.
- a sharp jerk on the line, made in order to set the hook in the mouth of the fish.
- a pull on the line, made by the fish in the process of taking the bait.
- Coining. a quantity of coins struck at one time.
- Geology.
- the direction of the line formed by the intersection of the bedding plane of a bed or stratum of sedimentary rock with a horizontal plane.
- the direction or trend of a structural feature, as an anticlinal axis or the lineation resulting from metamorphism.
- the discovery of a rich vein or ore in mining, of petroleum in boring, etc.
- Military. a planned attack, especially by aircraft, on a target.
adjective
- Military. describing a fighter-bomber aircraft designed to carry large payloads at high speeds and low altitudes and also to engage in air-to-air combat.
verb phrase
- Printing. to print:
They struck off 300 copies of the book.
- to remove or cancel, as from a record, list, etc.:
His name was struck off the waiting list.
- to produce rapidly and easily:
She struck off several letters and had no more work to do.
- to depart rapidly:
We struck off for the country.
- to interrupt suddenly; intervene:
I struck in with a suggestion.
- to begin to play or to sing:
The orchestra struck up a waltz.
- to set in operation; begin:
Strike up the band!
- to bring into being; commence; begin:
to strike up an acquaintance with new neighbors.
- Baseball. to put out or be put out by a strike-out:
The pitcher walked two and struck out three. He struck out twice in three times at bat.
- (of a person or effort) to fail:
His next two business ventures struck out.
- to lose favor.
- to erase; cross out.
- to set forth; venture forth:
She struck out on her own at the age of 18.
strike
/ straɪk /
verb
- to deliver (a blow or stroke) to (a person)
- to come or cause to come into sudden or violent contact (with)
- tr to make an attack on
- to produce (fire, sparks, etc) or (of fire, sparks, etc) to be produced by ignition
- to cause (a match) to light by friction or (of a match) to be lighted
- to press (the key of a piano, organ, etc) or to sound (a specific note) in this or a similar way
- to indicate (a specific time) by the sound of a hammer striking a bell or by any other percussive sound
- (of a venomous snake) to cause injury by biting
- tr to affect or cause to affect deeply, suddenly, or radically, as if by dealing a blow
her appearance struck him as strange
I was struck on his art
- struckstricken tr; passiveusually foll bywith to render incapable or nearly so
she was stricken with grief
- tr to enter the mind of
it struck me that he had become very quiet
- struckstricken to render
I was struck dumb
- tr to be perceived by; catch
the glint of metal struck his eye
- to arrive at or come upon (something), esp suddenly or unexpectedly
to strike upon a solution
to strike the path for home
- intrsometimes foll byout to set (out) or proceed, esp upon a new course
to strike for the coast
- tr; usually passive to afflict with a disease, esp unexpectedly
he was struck with polio when he was six
- tr to discover or come upon a source of (ore, petroleum, etc)
- tr (of a plant) to produce or send down (a root or roots)
- tr to take apart or pack up; break (esp in the phrase strike camp )
- tr to take down or dismantle (a stage set, formwork, etc)
- tr nautical
- to lower or remove (a specified piece of gear)
- to haul down or dip (a flag, sail, etc) in salute or in surrender
- to lower (cargo, etc) into the hold of a ship
- to attack (an objective) with the intention of causing damage to, seizing, or destroying it
- to impale the hook in the mouth of (a fish) by suddenly tightening or jerking the line after the bait or fly has been taken
- tr to form or impress (a coin, metal, etc) by or as if by stamping
- to level (a surface) by use of a flat board
- tr to assume or take up (an attitude, posture, etc)
- intr (of workers in a factory, etc) to cease work collectively as a protest against working conditions, low pay, etc
- tr to reach by agreement
to strike a bargain
- tr to form (a jury, esp a special jury) by cancelling certain names among those nominated for jury service until only the requisite number remains See also special jury
- tr rowing to make (a certain number of strokes) per minute
Oxford were striking 38
- to make a stroke or kick in swimming
- tr (in Malaysia) to win (a lottery or raffle)
- strike home
- to deliver an effective blow
- to achieve the intended effect
- strike it lucky or strike luckyto have some good luck
- strike it rich informal.
- to discover an extensive deposit of a mineral, petroleum, etc
- to have an unexpected financial success
noun
- an act or instance of striking
- a cessation of work by workers in a factory, industry, etc, as a protest against working conditions or low pay
the workers are on strike again
- a military attack, esp an air attack on a surface target
air strike
- baseball a pitched ball judged good but missed or not swung at, three of which cause a batter to be out
- Also calledten-strike tenpin bowling
- the act or an instance of knocking down all the pins with the first bowl of a single frame
- the score thus made Compare spare
- a sound made by striking
- the mechanism that makes a clock strike
- the discovery of a source of ore, petroleum, etc
- the horizontal direction of a fault, rock stratum, etc, which is perpendicular to the direction of the dip
- angling the act or an instance of striking
- the number of coins or medals made at one time
- another name for strickle
- informal.an unexpected or complete success, esp one that brings financial gain
- take strikecricket (of a batsman) to prepare to play a ball delivered by the bowler
strike
/ strīk /
- The course or bearing of a structural surface, such as an inclined bed or a fault plane, as it intersects a horizontal plane.
- See illustration at dip
strike
- A concerted refusal by employees in a particular business or industry to work. Its goal is usually to force employers to meet demands respecting wages and other working conditions.
Derived Forms
- ˈstrikeless, adjective
Other Words From
- strikeless adjective
- anti·strike adjective
- non·strike adjective
- outstrike verb (used with object) outstruck outstruck or outstricken outstriking
- post·strike adjective
- pre·strike adjective verb prestruck prestruck or prestricken prestriking
- pro·strike adjective
- under·strike verb (used with object) understruck understruck or understricken understriking
Word History and Origins
Origin of strike1
Word History and Origins
Origin of strike1
Idioms and Phrases
- have two strikes against one, to be in an unfavorable or a critical position:
His age and his lack of education are two strikes against him in his search for a job.
- on strike, engaged in a stoppage of work, services, or other activities, as by union workers to get better wages.
- strike camp, to dismantle and pack up equipment; prepare to move on; break camp:
The army struck camp and moved on.
- strike hands, to conclude a bargain, as by shaking or joining hands; confirm an agreement:
They reached a price satisfactory to both of them, and struck hands on it.
- strike home,
- to deal an effective blow, hit a vulnerable part, or wound critically or mortally:
The second arrow struck home.
- to have the intended effect; hit the mark:
The sermon on Christian charity struck home.
- strike it rich,
- to come upon a valuable mineral or oil deposit.
- to have sudden or unexpected financial success:
She struck it rich in real estate.
- strike oil. oil ( def 18 ).
More idioms and phrases containing strike
- go out (on strike)
- happy medium, strike a
- lightning never strikes twice
- on strike
- two strikes against
Synonym Study
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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