1
2
as in to affect
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
we were struck by the willingness of total strangers to go out of their way to help us
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3
as in to occur (to)
to enter the mind of
it struck her later that no one at the bank had asked for identification
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4
as in to bump
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the thump of hailstones striking the cars in the parking lot
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5
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
the driver of the car behind me applied his brakes too late and struck my car from the rear
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6
as in to dismantle
to take apart
the stagehands struck the sets the morning after the play closed
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7
as in to attack
to take sudden, violent action against
a rattlesnake strikes its prey with lightning speed
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8
as in to possess
to cast a spell on
the only way that she's going to get a man is if she strikes one
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1
as in walkout
a work stoppage by a body of workers intended to force an employer to meet their demands
the nurses will go on strike tomorrow unless they're finally given a pay raise
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2
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the first strike was directed at a munitions warehouse
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3
as in disadvantage
a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success
kids born into poverty already have a strike against them
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4
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things
the strike of a hammer against a nail always has a satisfying sound when you're building something yourself
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5
as in accident
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events
she's made one strike after another since she began speculating in real estate
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of strike
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
25 June 2026
Search and rescue crews are pulling survivors from the rubble after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minutes apart last night.
—
John Otis,
NPR,
25 June 2026
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
24 June 2026
Mbappe is coming for that World Cup all-time scoring record, netting his second long-range strike in as many group games and tapping in from Ousmane Dembele’s pass either side of a lengthy weather delay against Iraq.
—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for strike
Verb
Police also linked Sanchez-Munoz to a June 11 shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, where another vehicle was struck by gunfire.
—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
25 June 2026
Search and rescue crews are pulling survivors from the rubble after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela less than a minutes apart last night.
—
John Otis,
NPR,
25 June 2026
Noun
Each robot must independently interpret ball position and goalkeeper movement before committing to a strike, making split-second corrections based on sensor feedback.
—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
24 June 2026
Mbappe is coming for that World Cup all-time scoring record, netting his second long-range strike in as many group games and tapping in from Ousmane Dembele’s pass either side of a lengthy weather delay against Iraq.
—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for strike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strike
Verb
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Johnson allowed one walk with career highs of eight strikeouts and six innings, while throwing 90 pitches.
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Manny Machado hit a first pitch, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning, sending the Padres to a 7-6 win and the Braves to their ninth loss in the last 12 games.
Verb
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Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.
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At least 383 buildings and over 1,000 other structures had collapsed or were heavily affected, and officials were still assessing the damage.
Verb
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The vehicle was first detected traveling through Washington Heights, then flagged a second time about 10 minutes later crossing the University Heights Bridge.
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Since formally leaving the EU, those same potatoes must now pass customs checks and health inspections before being allowed to even cross the border into France.
Verb
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Apple bumped its prices across much of its product lineup today, in some cases adding hundreds of dollars to the cost of a new Macintosh.
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In this case, safe meant a track big enough for two riders to race without bumping into each other.
Verb
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Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.
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The Iraq goalkeeper didn't make a play on it, as the ball hit the post and bounced away.
Verb
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Cuba’s Communist Party has approved 176 free‑market measures, which are described as the most sweeping economic overhaul since the revolution, dismantling pillars of state control and decentralizing a system battered by crisis.
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According to Kim, the theme is not about respectfully preserving Korean aesthetics, but about dismantling, disrupting, and wearing them again.
Verb
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His pace routinely bothered Sweden, including on one impressive solo run in the first half that produced a quality attacking scenario.
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The video then shows the woman throwing Martinez to the ground, grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly attacking her as bystanders try to step in and help.
Verb
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Count the Nuggets, who possess picks 26 and 49, in the expensive teams group.
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Ghana will be a very different test, with the likes of Antoine Semenyo – who was actually born in London – possessing the ability to ask real questions of the England defenders who looked a little shaky at times in the first game.
Cite this Entry
“Strike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strike. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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