1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

striking (out) 1 of 2

verb (1)

Definition of striking (out)next
present participle of strike (out)
as in deleting
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it struck out all references to indecent matters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

striking out

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of strike out
as in failing
to be unsuccessful their joint venture in Las Vegas struck out, and they hurriedly dissolved the partnership

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 striking (out)
Verb
Brendan Cellucci followed by striking out three over 1 2/3 innings in his major league debut. — CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Javier, who tossed the first six innings of a combined no-hitter for Houston against Philadelphia in the 2022 World Series, gave up one run, three hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026 Steele tossed 1 2/3 innings Wednesday night with Triple-A Iowa, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out two and walking none. — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Cameron allowed four runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one over five innings. — Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 Yamamoto puts in a solid start, holding the Braves to four hits and striking out eight over 6⅓ innings. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Josh Lowe failed to get a bunt down, striking out when trying to bunt with two strikes. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for striking (out)
  1. deleting
  2. failing
  3. canceling
  4. collapsing
  5. flopping
  6. flaming out
  7. missing
  8. folding
Verb
  • An independent investigation found that the AI swarm found a way to secretly communicate and coordinated the unauthorized hack, editing and deleting its activity logs to avoid detection.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • When DseWiki’s moderators began deleting the pages in June, one agent posted a workaround to a backup page for the others to find, according to the researchers.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of deleting
Verb
  • The episode marked the latest instance of Congress trying and failing to advance AI legislation amid a growing debate over whether, if at all, to regulate the technology that industry leaders warn may pose doomsday threats to humanity.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Charlie Kirk's family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative activist's assassination at a state university, in a wrongful death notice announced Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • But legal experts also told local news that canceling the shows would’ve likely violated the First Amendment.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The singer revealed the condition to fans three months later after canceling the rest of his planned gigs.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of canceling
Verb
  • Portland took an early lead, but the Pride showed fight and kept it close before collapsing in the last 20 minutes.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapsing
Verb
  • The fish looks straight at me, flopping sluggishly from side to side.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Nobody likes to see their sunflowers flopping over—and according to Nancy Awot-Traut, a horticulture specialist at Burpee, there can be several reasons why this happens.
    — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of flopping
Verb
  • The team ended up flaming out in the first round of the Copa América, and panic ensued.
    — Leander Schaerlaeckens, New Yorker, 22 May 2026
  • Despite missing the playoffs with a 42-40 record and flaming out of the Play-In Tournament against the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers did not have their own first-round pick, part of the cost for the 2019 swap of 2018 lottery pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 2019 MVP finalist Paul George.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Definition of flaming out
Verb
  • On Friday, state media said authorities in Hanoi found the body of a university student who had been missing since Thursday.
    — Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Poole allegedly did not provide documentation to account for the missing cash, and investigators could not find records that showed the cash was ever collected by Brink’s or deposited directly into the school bank account.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of missing
Verb
  • If Curry Village is on your Yosemite itinerary — for the canvas tent cabins, the shower house after a long day on the trail or a base camp for Half Dome — there’s a piece of health news worth folding into your trip planning.
    — The Sacramento Bee staff, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Caroline Scheufele, Chopard’s artistic director and copresident, stayed near the step-and-repeat, gamely posing for photos with guests and frequently folding her hands into a heart shape while doing so.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of folding

Browse Nearby Words

strikingly
striking (out)
striking out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Striking (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/striking%20%28out%29. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All