strike down

verb

struck down; struck down also stricken down; striking down; strikes down

transitive verb

: annul, nullify

The board struck down the appointment.

especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable

The Supreme Court struck down the law.

Synonyms of strike down

• abolish
• repeal
• cancel
• set aside
• roll back
• avoid
• overturn

Examples of strike down in a Sentence

a law that was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional

Recent Examples on the Web

The measure revives a similar ban passed in 2022, which was struck down by a judge following legal challenges from the oil and gas industry. — Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

This June, a judge struck down the $100,000 fee. — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 23 June 2026

The affordability crisis hasn't gone away just because this ballot crisis has been struck down this year. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 23 June 2026

An executive order cannot, on its own, strike down a state law; that is why the order leans on lawsuits and money rather than a stroke of the pen. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for strike down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

strike down

verb

: to make null and void : annul

struck down the proposal

especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable

the court struck down the law

Legal Definition

strike down

transitive verb

: annul, nullify

the trustee…can strike down transfers

—J. J. White and R. S. Summers

especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable

the court struck down death penalty provisions

—L. H. Tribe