1
2
as in affects
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in occurs (to)
to enter the mind of
it struck her later that no one at the bank had asked for identification
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in collides
to come into usually forceful contact with something
the thump of hailstones striking the cars in the parking lot
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5
as in hits
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
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6
as in dismantles
to take apart
the stagehands struck the sets the morning after the play closed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in attacks
to take sudden, violent action against
a rattlesnake strikes its prey with lightning speed
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8
as in possesses
to cast a spell on
the only way that she's going to get a man is if she strikes one
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in walkouts
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
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2
as in raids
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the first strike was directed at a munitions warehouse
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disadvantages
a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success
kids born into poverty already have a strike against them
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4
as in collisions
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
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5
as in accidents
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
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of strikes
Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
Whoever strikes first between Logan Cooley, Leo Carlsson, Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, among others, could set the tone for the rest of the 2026 RFA class.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
What strikes me is the designer Demna is today.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
The crux will be whether Taiwan can operate, reconstitute, and adapt these weapons systems under actual fire, when blockades, cyberattacks, and massed PLA strikes stress every node of the island’s defense network.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
In the show, Gein strikes Henry with a piece of wood, then drags his body into the woods and stages a brush fire to explain Henry's death.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Maybe so—and a coming wave of insider stories attesting to Weiss’s difficulties in asserting her authority strikes me as the most inevitable outcome of this affair.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Sunny Hostin strikes a pose at the opening of the 50th Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, which benefits the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
The key is preparing before problems strikes, or sidestepping the problem by finding alternate transportation when possible.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
In Hollywood, Tilly crystallized fears about AI in a way not seen since the 2023 strikes.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
The strikes underscored a shifting regional order in which diplomacy is being replaced by deterrence.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
His inability to throw strikes relegated him to a relief role.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
When there was labor unrest, the coal town churches tended to side with the companies, advising miners against strikes or agitation.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
But shortly after filming began in 2023 in New Orleans, production was halted due to the writers and actors strikes; then, that December, Lear died.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
The industry contraction from the dual strikes has led to significant unemployment for our members and all industry workers.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
While Broadway was devastated by the pandemic, film and TV faced an even bigger trial in 2023 with the dual strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, Telsey said.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
First, ultraviolet light from the Sun strikes the water-ice rings, as do plasma clouds from meteoroid strikes.
—Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
Whoever strikes first between Logan Cooley, Leo Carlsson, Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, among others, could set the tone for the rest of the 2026 RFA class.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
What strikes me is the designer Demna is today.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
The crux will be whether Taiwan can operate, reconstitute, and adapt these weapons systems under actual fire, when blockades, cyberattacks, and massed PLA strikes stress every node of the island’s defense network.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
In the show, Gein strikes Henry with a piece of wood, then drags his body into the woods and stages a brush fire to explain Henry's death.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Maybe so—and a coming wave of insider stories attesting to Weiss’s difficulties in asserting her authority strikes me as the most inevitable outcome of this affair.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Sunny Hostin strikes a pose at the opening of the 50th Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York, which benefits the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
The key is preparing before problems strikes, or sidestepping the problem by finding alternate transportation when possible.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
But the week was set against the backdrop of global political turmoil and economic uncertainty, including a day of strikes that hung up traffic around Paris.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
In Hollywood, Tilly crystallized fears about AI in a way not seen since the 2023 strikes.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
The strikes underscored a shifting regional order in which diplomacy is being replaced by deterrence.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
His inability to throw strikes relegated him to a relief role.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
When there was labor unrest, the coal town churches tended to side with the companies, advising miners against strikes or agitation.
—The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
But shortly after filming began in 2023 in New Orleans, production was halted due to the writers and actors strikes; then, that December, Lear died.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
The industry contraction from the dual strikes has led to significant unemployment for our members and all industry workers.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
While Broadway was devastated by the pandemic, film and TV faced an even bigger trial in 2023 with the dual strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, Telsey said.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strikes
Verb
-
Highlights include nature walks and hands-on activities led by science center educators, live music from several performers and food and drink from local vendors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The Athletic walks you through the big talking points for the week, from the change in format to the potential fortunes of the three English clubs on Europe’s greatest stage.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The neurodegenerative disorder, which causes tremors, affects speech and leads to motor skills, has no cure.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
IgA nephropathy mainly affects the kidneys, while IgA vasculitis can also involve your skin, joints, and digestive system.—
Ruth Jessen Hickman,
Health,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As workplace tension collides with undeniable chemistry, their connection deepens beyond the physical.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Between them stretches the long expanse of the table—a zone of tension, where the celestial mission of knowledge collides with the earthly reality of budgets.—
Rick Burton,
Sportico.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The program features hits from the ‘70s, such as by The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elvis and The Carpenters, with a modern twist.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Topwater lures produced a couple of thrilling peacock hits from fish up to 4½ pounds, as well as a number of misses.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the sequel, Aatami, a man of few words, dismantles his family home after the Red Army moves the borders of his country.—
William Earl,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Modern prep, by contrast, dismantles those codes, treating familiar motifs not as restrictions but as foundations to build upon.—
Minty Mellon,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Those with the condition do not create enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels—because their immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce it.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
If pathogens camouflage themselves successfully, this can lead to a sort of biological friendly fire, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, unable to tell the difference between an invading pathogen and what was already there.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This star is a red giant known as SDSS J0715-7334, and has just one-20,000th the abundance of heavy elements that our Sun possesses.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Importantly, Venezuela possesses a capable democratic opposition — led by María Corina Machado and president-elect Edmundo González — that is prepared to govern responsibly.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Netanyahu brought his characteristic fiery and pugilistic rhetoric to the assembly in New York, a venue he's spoken at many times before, and where diplomatic walkouts in protest at leaders' speeches are a common occurrence.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Last Friday, students across the state staged walkouts calling on lawmakers to take action on guns, including an assault weapons ban and magazine capacity limits.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strikes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strikes. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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