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 Democratic congressman went on to express confidence that a referendum campaign to strike down the map would be certified for the ballot. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026

Trump faces the lowest approval ratings yet in his second term, and much of his global tariff regime has been struck down in courts. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 May 2026

The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a redistricting effort that could have yielded four more winnable seats for Democrats. —Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026

In a case argued in January, the justices sounded likely to strike down a Hawaii law requiring gun owners to get permission before bringing a firearm into a store or other private property that's open to the public. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 13 May 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