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

Louisiana’s congressional map Last week’s blockbuster Supreme Court decision abating a central Voting Rights Act provision struck down Louisiana’s congressional map. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 May 2026

And Louisiana lawmakers are making plans for new congressional districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state’s current map. —Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

And Louisiana lawmakers also are making plans for new congressional districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state’s current map. —ABC News, 6 May 2026

Last week, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana congressional map that had been gerrymandered to create a second majority-black district. —CBS News, 4 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