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

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 court struck down affirmative action in part because the majority said Harvard and the University of North Carolina failed to show measurable outcomes justifying race consciousness in college admissions. Ronnie Cohen | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 The New Mexico Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit from Republicans hoping to redraw the state's congressional map on Monday, ensuring the current map will remain in place for the remainder of the redistricting cycle. Eden Villalovas, Washington Examiner, 27 Nov. 2023 The Voting Rights Act, a landmark law that has for decades protected Black Americans from attempts to erode their political power, was dealt one of its most significant challenges this week when a federal appeals court moved to strike down a crucial part of the legislation. Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 In Bruen, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to strike down a century-old New York state law requiring that any applicant for a handgun carrying permit show evidence of a personal safety risk. Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 The Supreme Court struck down the Administration’s $430 billion debt writeoff in June, but the GAO review is relevant since the Education Department is canceling hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans via the back door. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 19 Nov. 2023 The businesswoman was originally expected to be named as a defendant in the fraud trial, though a New York appeals court struck down her inclusion, ruling that the claims against her were too old. Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2023 Conservative groups and state attorneys generals have increasingly turned their attention to considerations of race in the workplace after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions in June. Char Adams, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2023 Most existing sports gambling companies set up shop within months of a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that struck down a federal law barring gambling on football, basketball, baseball and other sports. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strike down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strike down was in 1779

Dictionary Entries Near strike down

Cite this Entry

“Strike down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20down. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

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 transfersJ. J. White and R. S. Summers
especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable
the court struck down death penalty provisions L. H. Tribe

More from Merriam-Webster on strike down

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