strike

1 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 walkout Related Words sympathetic strike, sympathy strike; go-slow [British], job action, sick-out, sit-down, sit-in, slowdown; lockout

2 the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the first strike was directed at a munitions warehouse Synonyms aggression, assault, attempt, blitz, blitzkrieg, charge, coup de main, descent, offense (or offence), offensive, onset, onslaught, raid, rush, attackRelated Words ambuscade, ambush; counteraggression, counterassault, counterattack, counteroffensive, counterstrike; sally, sortie; envelopment, flanking; breakthrough, foray, incursion, invasion; pillage, ravage, sack; air raid, bombardment, bombing; siege, storm; barrage, cannonade, fusillade, hail, salvo, volley; whammyNear Antonyms defense, defensive, guard, shield; opposition, resistance; protection, security, shelter

3 a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success kids born into poverty already have a strike against them Synonyms debit, disbenefit, downside, drawback, handicap, incommodity, liability, minus, negative, disadvantageRelated Words albatross, millstone, stranglehold; disability, impairment; failing, shortcoming; bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammelNear Antonyms vantage; head start, jump, lead, margin, start; ascendancy (also ascendency), better, command, control, drop, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, upper hand; prerogative, privilege; break, opportunity; aid, assistance, helpAntonyms advantage, asset, edge, plus

4 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 bump, collision, concussion, crash, impingement, jar, jolt, jounce, kick, shock, slam, smash, impact, wallopRelated Words blow, buffet, hit, knock, punch, rap, slap, thump; bashing, battering, bludgeoning, clobbering, hammering, lambasting, licking, pounding, pummeling (also pummelling), thrashing; contact, encounter, meeting, touch

5 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 break, flukeRelated Words accident, chance, circumstance, hap, happenchance, happenstance, hazard, luck

1 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 walk, walk out Related Words sit in; lock out

2 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 impact, impress, influence, move, reach, affect, sway, tell (on), touchRelated Words carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall (or enthral), ravish, transport; bias, color; inspire, stir; engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce; afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring; allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinateNear Antonyms bore, jade, pall, tire, weary; underwhelm

3 to enter the mind of it struck her later that no one at the bank had asked for identification Synonyms come (to), cross, dawn (on), occurRelated Words recall, recollect, remember, reminisce; con, learn, memorize; appear, arrive, emerge, materializeNear Antonyms forget, unlearn; disregard, ignore, neglect, overlook

4 to come into usually forceful contact with something the thump of hailstones striking the cars in the parking lot Synonyms bang, bash, bump, collide, crash, impact, impinge, knock, ram, slam, smash, hit, swipe, thudRelated Words bounce, carom, clunk, glance, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip; contact, land, touch; brush, graze, kiss, nudge, scrape, shave, sweep; bulldoze, jostle, muscle, press, pushNear Antonyms miss, skirt

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

6 to take apart the stagehands struck the sets the morning after the play closed Synonyms break down, demount, dismantle, dismember, dismount, knock down, disassemble, take downRelated Words detach, disengage; break up, disaggregate, disarticulate, disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, dissever, disunite, divide, separateNear Antonyms build, erect, pitch; combine, uniteAntonyms assemble, construct

7 to take sudden, violent action against a rattlesnake strikes its prey with lightning speed Synonyms assail, assault, beset, bushwhack, charge, descend (on or upon), go in (on), jump (on), pounce (on or upon), raid, rush, set on, sic (also sick), storm, attack, trash, turn (on)Related Words bum-rush, gang up (on), mob, swarm; mug, rob; ambuscade, ambush, surprise (also surprize), waylay; blitz, bomb, bombard, nuke; barrage, cannon, cannonade; bang away (at), batter, buffet, plaster; beleaguer, besiege, press; harry, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack; foray, invade, overrun; envelop, flankNear Antonyms cover, defend, guard, protect, secure, shield

8 to cast a spell on the only way that she's going to get a man is if she strikes one Synonyms charm, enchant, ensorcell (or ensorcel), hex, overlook, spell, bewitchRelated Words curse, jinx, possess, voodoo; attract, beguile, captivate, fascinate, mesmerize, spellbind; entice, lure, seduce, temptNear Antonyms bless