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

However, some of those changes were recently struck down in federal court. — Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 10 July 2026

Chicago aldermen Thursday struck down most of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s last-minute progressive questions to ask voters this autumn, opting instead for a slate mainly of their own making. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Trump asserted that the law authorized him to impose individualized tariff rates on nearly every country, but the Supreme Court in February struck down those import duties. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 9 July 2026

But that ruling does not affect court rulings that strike down agency regulations. — Benjamin Leff, The Conversation, 9 July 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