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 most recent case involving a dispute over donor identities before the high court was in 2021, when the justices struck down a California law mandating nonprofit organizations disclose their donors. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 23 Nov. 2025

Last November, just months after the fast-food pay floor went into effect, voters in the state struck down a ballot measure that would have raised the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 22 Nov. 2025

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Thursday involved federal immigration agents in her push to halt a campaign seeking to strike down the state’s congressional map. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 21 Nov. 2025

The Tax Foundation estimates the tariffs that could get struck down account for about 75% of the new tariff revenue coming in. —Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 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