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

• 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 legal challenges have largely been successful so far, with courts in Arkansas and Ohio striking down similar laws. —Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

This week John Mendez, a federal judge in Sacramento, struck down one of the measures, Assembly Bill 2655, carried by Assemblyman Marc Berman, a Palo Alto Democrat. —Dan Walters, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2025

But in New York, where House maps were struck down by a court in 2022 for giving a partisan advantage to Democrats, there are hurdles for mid-decade redistricting. —Julia Mueller, The Hill, 5 Aug. 2025

When the court hears arguments this fall, there are signs several of the justices could seek to have Section 2 strictly limited or struck down entirely. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025

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