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

• abate
• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• avoid
• cancel
• disannul
• dissolve
• invalidate
• negate
• null
• nullify
• quash
• repeal
• rescind
• roll back
• vacate
• void

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 high court in 2017 struck down a section of the law that barred registration of disparaging marks and did the same for a provision prohibiting immoral or scandalous marks in 2019. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 13 June 2024

The law has been mired in court battles — in April, the Los Angeles County Superior County Court struck down the law in five Southern California cities that challenged it. —Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 12 June 2024

Eyewitnesses described civilians being struck down by airstrikes and shrapnel. —Michael Rios, CNN, 10 June 2024

The story begins in Brooklyn in 1914, with Ederle struck down by the measles. —The Week Uk, theweek, 6 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

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