Synonyms of strike

strike 1 of 2

verb

ˈstrīk 

1

as in to walk

to refuse to work in order to force an employer to meet demands

the union is calling for its members to strike until the mining company agrees to meet safety standards

Synonyms & Similar Words

• walk
• walk out
• sit in
• lock out

2

as in to affect

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response

we were struck by the willingness of total strangers to go out of their way to help us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• affect
• influence
• impress
• impact
• touch
• reach
• move
• sway
• tell (on)
• get to
• inspire
• interest
• involve
• bother
• attract
• disturb
• entrance
• penetrate
• dazzle
• plague
• carry away
• fascinate
• worry
• engage
• concern
• try
• stir
• bias
• transport
• smite
• trouble
• harass
• upset
• afflict
• distress
• pierce
• ravish
• color
• discomfort
• stress
• enrapture
• enchant
• enthrall
• perturb
• agitate
• charm
• wring
• pester
• discompose
• captivate
• fluster
• harry
• disquiet
• strain
• bewitch
• allure

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bore
• weary
• pall
• tire
• jade
• underwhelm

3

as in to occur (to)

to enter the mind of

it struck her later that no one at the bank had asked for identification

Synonyms & Similar Words

• occur (to)
• come (to)
• cross
• appear
• arrive
• remember
• recall
• dawn (on)
• emerge
• recollect
• learn
• memorize
• reminisce
• con
• materialize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• disregard
• overlook
• neglect
• unlearn

4

as in to bump

to come into usually forceful contact with something

the thump of hailstones striking the cars in the parking lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bump
• collide
• bang
• slam
• smash
• hit
• knock
• crash
• ram
• impinge
• impact
• swipe
• bash
• thud
• glance
• bounce
• contact
• rebound
• sweep
• skip
• scrape
• push
• ricochet
• touch
• brush
• land
• kiss
• graze
• nudge
• muscle
• carom
• shave
• skim
• jostle
• clunk
• press
• bulldoze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• miss
• skirt

5

as in to hit

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner

the driver of the car behind me applied his brakes too late and struck my car from the rear

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hit
• knock
• slap
• smack
• punch
• slam
• bang
• clap
• whack
• swipe
• bat
• clip
• pound
• crack
• kick
• nail
• hammer
• smite
• box
• tap
• clock
• bash
• push
• lick
• thump
• bludgeon
• swat
• flick
• poke
• zap
• jab
• shove
• stab
• clobber
• clout
• belt
• tag
• slug
• chop
• stroke
• thwack
• bob
• bop
• sock
• bonk
• rap
• bust
• whale
• wallop
• bump
• paste
• slog
• rough
• biff
• beat
• pummel
• maul
• hang one on
• batter
• slash
• pepper
• cuff
• lash
• buffet
• stamp
• fell
• mangle
• knee
• dump
• lambaste
• bunt
• drub
• jostle
• pelt
• scuff
• whip
• bung
• butt
• deck
• pommel
• club
• spear
• prod
• cane
• switch
• floor
• lace
• brain
• flail
• knock down
• cudgel
• thrash
• cream
• bean
• level
• bowl (down or over)
• conk
• sucker punch
• sap
• flog
• skull
• sledge
• sledgehammer
• rabbit-punch

6

as in to dismantle

to take apart

the stagehands struck the sets the morning after the play closed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dismantle
• disconnect
• detach
• dismount
• take down
• dismember
• divide
• disassemble
• knock down
• break down
• disengage
• demount
• separate
• disaggregate
• disarticulate
• disunite
• dissever
• break up
• disjoin
• disjoint

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• construct
• build
• assemble
• erect
• combine
• unite
• pitch

7

as in to attack

to take sudden, violent action against

a rattlesnake strikes its prey with lightning speed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attack
• assault
• raid
• storm
• rob
• ambush
• charge
• turn (on)
• set at
• assail
• set on
• invade
• descend (on or upon)
• rush
• set upon
• beset
• swarm
• fly at
• jump (on)
• go in (on)
• pounce (on or upon)
• tear into
• round on
• sic
• pitch into
• bushwhack
• beat up on
• surprise
• trash
• mob
• sack
• bomb
• light into
• go at
• flank
• waylay
• nuke
• besiege
• barrage
• blitz
• bombard
• gang up (on)
• ravage
• batter
• plunder
• loot
• cannon
• bum-rush
• buffet
• pillage
• mug
• plaster
• ambuscade
• foray
• harry
• overrun
• envelop
• cannonade
• bang away (at)
• beleaguer
• press

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• secure
• defend
• cover
• guard
• shield

8

as in to possess

to cast a spell on

the only way that she's going to get a man is if she strikes one

Synonyms & Similar Words

• possess
• spell
• tempt
• curse
• seduce
• enchant
• charm
• bewitch
• hex
• ensorcell
• attract
• overlook
• lure
• jinx
• captivate
• entice
• mesmerize
• fascinate
• beguile
• spellbind
• voodoo

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bless

strike

2 of 2

noun

1

as in walkout

a work stoppage by a body of workers intended to force an employer to meet their demands

the nurses will go on strike tomorrow unless they're finally given a pay raise

Synonyms & Similar Words

• walkout
• sympathy strike
• sympathetic strike
• sit-down
• slowdown
• lockout
• job action
• go-slow
• sick-out
• sit-in

2

as in attack

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence

the first strike was directed at a munitions warehouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• attack
• assault
• raid
• offensive
• offense
• attempt
• onslaught
• aggression
• rush
• bombardment
• onset
• blitz
• blitzkrieg
• counterattack
• charge
• invasion
• ambush
• coup de main
• incursion
• bombing
• barrage
• descent
• siege
• breakthrough
• sortie
• counteroffensive
• ambuscade
• sack
• air raid
• volley
• foray
• counterstrike
• sally
• counterassault
• hail
• storm
• envelopment
• pillage
• flanking
• counteraggression
• salvo
• ravage
• cannonade
• fusillade
• whammy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• defense
• guard
• resistance
• opposition
• shield
• protection
• security
• defensive
• shelter

3

as in disadvantage

a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success

kids born into poverty already have a strike against them

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disadvantage
• handicap
• debit
• shortcoming
• drawback
• liability
• negative
• downside
• minus
• incommodity
• disbenefit
• failing
• disability
• obstacle
• let
• stranglehold
• catch
• impairment
• albatross
• interference
• millstone
• hurdle
• obstruction
• rub
• stop
• hitch
• impediment
• hindrance
• clog
• shackle
• embarrassment
• crimp
• check
• trammel
• bar
• manacle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• advantage
• edge
• asset
• start
• control
• plus
• jump
• lead
• margin
• drop
• vantage
• opportunity
• command
• ascendancy
• head start
• mastery
• privilege
• superiority
• predominance
• upper hand
• transcendence
• supremacy
• break
• prerogative
• aid
• help
• assistance
• better

4

as in collision

a forceful coming together of two things

the strike of a hammer against a nail always has a satisfying sound when you're building something yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collision
• jolt
• shock
• crash
• blow
• thump
• impact
• slam
• slap
• kick
• bump
• encounter
• pounding
• hit
• concussion
• impingement
• knock
• contact
• punch
• smash
• wallop
• jar
• jounce
• hammering
• buffet
• thrashing
• touch
• meeting
• bashing
• battering
• licking
• rap
• pummeling
• clobbering
• bludgeoning
• lambasting

5

as in accident

an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events

she's made one strike after another since she began speculating in real estate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accident
• break
• chance
• fluke
• stroke of luck
• luck
• hazard
• happenstance
• circumstance
• hap
• happenchance

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb strike differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of strike are affect, impress, influence, sway, and touch. While all these words mean "to produce or have an effect upon," strike, similar to but weaker than impress, may convey the notion of sudden sharp perception or appreciation.

struck by the solemnity of the occasion

Where would affect be a reasonable alternative to strike?

The meanings of affect and strike largely overlap; however, affect implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction.

the sight affected her to tears

When can impress be used instead of strike?

While the synonyms impress and strike are close in meaning, impress stresses the depth and persistence of the effect.

only one of the plans impressed him

When might influence be a better fit than strike?

The words influence and strike are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, influence implies a force that brings about a change (as in nature or behavior).

our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing

In what contexts can sway take the place of strike?

The synonyms sway and strike are sometimes interchangeable, but sway implies the acting of influences that are not resisted or are irresistible, with resulting change in character or course of action.

politicians who are swayed by popular opinion

When is touch a more appropriate choice than strike?

The words touch and strike can be used in similar contexts, but touch may carry a vivid suggestion of close contact and may connote stirring, arousing, or harming.

plants touched by frost

his emotions were touched by her distress

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of strike

Verb

During strong El Niños, global air and ocean temperatures spike, and precipitation patterns shift dramatically – flooding rains deluge places that are normally dry, and drought strikes some of the wettest locations on earth. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026

Georgia O’Keefe in her austere blacks and whites, struck a seemingly deliberate, stark juxtaposition with the cloudy, pastel-toned washes of her southwestern paintings. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

From roughly two years from late 2023 through late 2025, the Houthis had attacked commercial shipping with missile and drone strikes in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and neighboring Gulf of Aden. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian territory if allies can secure a genuine Russian commitment not to hit Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. — Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing strike

• strike (into)
• strike (out)
• strike a bargain
• strike down
• strike out