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.
The new lawsuit, filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, asks the court to strike down what it called an “unlawful” permit issued last month to Sable Offshore Corp from the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
In 2015, O’Connor also attempted to strike down a portion of the 1968 Gun Control Act as unconstitutional, though his ruling was overturned.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
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
“Great Cleon sought only to strike down the vile slavers of Yunkai.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
