strike down
Britishverb
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Fell with a blow or misfortune, as in The tree was struck down by lightning , or He was struck down by tuberculosis while in his twenties . [Late 1400s]
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Render ineffective, cancel, especially in a legal context. For example, The appeals court struck down the verdict . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mark Joseph Stern: This is one reason why, if the justices do strike down his attack on birthright citizenship, nobody should say: “Look, they’re putting Trump in his place! He’s really not a king!”
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026
The U.S. budget saw little to no effect from the Supreme Court decision on Feb. 20 to strike down a broad swath of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The top court received a number of petitions requesting it to review the judgment and strike down the 2018 order.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Supreme Court’s decision to strike down levies issued under emergency powers, Allianz analysts wrote in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
The idea is, the long pulpit puts the harpooner right over the fish so he can strike down at them before they feel the boat.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
