STRIKES Synonyms: 471 Similar and Opposite Words

strikes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of strike

as in walks

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

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Relevance

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

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as in occurs (to)

to enter the mind of it struck her later that no one at the bank had asked for identification

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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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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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as in dismantles

to take apart the stagehands struck the sets the morning after the play closed

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as in attacks

to take sudden, violent action against a rattlesnake strikes its prey with lightning speed

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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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blesses

strikes

2 of 2

noun

plural of strike

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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as in assaults

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the first strike was directed at a munitions warehouse

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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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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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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of strikes

Verb

Plane strikes light pole and truck Dash cam footage from the truck shows the moment it is struck by Flight UA169, a Boeing 767 that originated in Venice, Italy, with 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board. —

Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 4 May 2026 Kiki Barth strikes a pose at the Veggies Made Great tent during Model Volleyball weekend in Miami Beach, enjoying the brand's better-for-you snacks. —

Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026 The Mission-style burrito, with its monstrous circumference and segregated ingredients, strikes me as a variation best loved by the people who grew up loving it. —

Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 3 May 2026 This generation’s suspension tuning strikes a decent balance between daily drivability and truck-readiness. —

New Atlas, 3 May 2026 What strikes fear into the hearts of overseas rivals is the sheer scale of production in China, where automakers can rely on deep domestic supply chains and have automated their factories. —

Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 2 May 2026 They’re hidden somewhere safe, where nobody can use them, which strikes me as a very Good Friday Agreement-lite sort of solution. —

Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 May 2026 When midnight strikes, everything shifts. —

Jason Phillips, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026 His absence strikes a mighty blow for the Timberwolves, who rely on DiVincenzo for a multitude of contributions. —

Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026

Noun

When the ceasefire went into effect at midnight on April 17, the number of people killed by Israeli strikes on the country was 2,294, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. —

Charbel Mallo, CNN Money, 3 May 2026 Khartoum has largely been spared attacks by the RSF since it was recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces last year, but the capital has recently seen sporadic strikes. —

ABC News, 3 May 2026 The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding, though Trump on Saturday told journalists that further strikes remained a possibility. —

Adam Schreck, Fortune, 3 May 2026 Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS. —

Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 May 2026 The strikes sparked fires at the facility, which processes 15 million tons of oil a year and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for the Russian military. —

Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026 Lebanon’s state news agency reported four people were killed in strikes in the country’s south. —

Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026 Preemptive strikes are a very questionable tactic unless the evidence of necessity is overwhelming. —

Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026 Another person was killed in a separate Russian attack on Dnipro Saturday afternoon, according to Hanzha, in the same residential area hit by the overnight strikes. —

Elise Morton, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strikes

Verb

As Romans walks into his barn office, which seems not big enough to contain his 6-foot-2-inch frame, his longtime worker, Cristina Bahena, walks in with a big foam cup filled with ice, wordlessly handing it to Romans.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Echevarria is the rare president who walks amid stretching players before games, has accompanied players to the NFL draft and fills his game suite with not just UM but national celebrities.

— Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026