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

• 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 sports betting industry rocketed to success after a 2018 Supreme Court decision effectively struck down a ban on sports gambling, paving the way for 38 states to legalize the practice. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025

In 2018, the Pennsylvania court struck down congressional maps drawn by Republican lawmakers, a win for Democrats ahead of that year's midterm elections. —Emily Chang, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025

In these cases, the court has struck down statutory limits on the president’s ability to remove federal officials, enabling much greater presidential control. —Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025

Sanders used the state’s final 15 minutes of arguments to strike down the defense and shift the jury to focus solely on Daniel Vazquez. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025

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