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

According to his defense, the state law that prohibits anyone under 21 from having a gun license should be struck down. —Neal Riley, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026

There have also been a litany of other sports betting scandals, in the NFL and in the NCAA, since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in 2018. —Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026

Trump’s remarks came days after the Supreme Court struck down a large chunk of his tariff agenda. —Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026

Not long after San Francisco voters passed an empty homes tax in 2022, a coalition of real estate interests sued the city, and in October 2024, a Superior Court judge struck down the law. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 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