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 appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. —Mark Sherman, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026

Voting rights groups contend Florida's new congressional districts should be struck down for violating a state ban on intentional partisan gerrymandering. —ABC News, 27 May 2026

Inside the lawsuit that seeks to strike down the city’s new ordinance. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026

Despite the prospect of refunds, importers are still paying a blanket 10% tariff that Trump implemented under a different law immediately after the Supreme Court struck down his IEEPA tariffs. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 27 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