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 court will sit in September to decide whether to strike down the statutory foundation of the inquiry, delaying one of South Africa’s biggest political risks. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 24 July 2026

One liberal justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, said in May after the court struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana and weakened the Voting Rights Act that the institution risked being seen as political. — Gene Johnson, Fortune, 24 July 2026

The administration imposed the new duties under Section 301, which was not struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 24 July 2026

The creative move has mostly failed to hold under legal scrutiny, and a similar effort to withhold other FEMA funding under conditions was struck down by courts last year. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 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