STRIKING DOWN Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

striking down

verb

present participle of strike down

as in abolishing

to put an end to by formal action a law that was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 down The high court dealt Trump both of the losses during the term that ended in June, striking down his executive order to end birthright citizenship and blocking his attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. — Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026 The 2024 ruling striking down the law as unconstitutional had been on hold pending appeal, so Wednesday’s reversal does not change the status quo. — ABC News, 29 July 2026 The 2024 ruling striking down the law as unconstitutional had been on hold pending appeal, so Wednesday's reversal does not change the status quo. — CBS News, 29 July 2026 The conservative majority also sided with Vice President JD Vance and Republicans in striking down a law limiting how much political parties can spend in coordination with an election candidate. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026 The court dealt Trump a major defeat in February by striking down his sweeping worldwide tariffs. — Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026 Either way, in striking down the Louisiana voting map as a racial gerrymander, this outcome could influence how other states defend or challenge maps, too. — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026 The Supreme Court allowed Texas’s redrawn Republican-friendly congressional map to stand on Monday, formally reversing a lower court’s ruling striking down the map as an unlawful racial gerrymander. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 27 Apr. 2026 The Pentagon had tried to implement a new policy, in which reporter workspaces would be located outside the building itself, after the judge issued an earlier order striking down policies that attempted to limit reporting only to authorized releases of information. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for striking down

Verb

Some members sought to amend the resolution to call for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026
Some of Hong’s past comments, including calling for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and abolishing the police, have garnered scrutiny in recent days.

— Garrett Downs, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of abolishing

Verb

Carr’s legal arguments The Carr FCC makes several arguments to support its claim that Congress didn’t intend to forbid the FCC from changing or repealing the cap.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2026
The pathway to adoption resembles that of a sales tax, with the addition of repealing the 2017 statewide ban on taxing food and beverages.

— Stephanie Leiser, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of repealing

Verb

Hurricane Lala disrupted travel between Los Angeles and Hawaii on Saturday, canceling flights from LAX to destinations across the islands as the Category 1 storm approached the Big Island.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Saving Parini the bother of canceling the interview, Borges gamely offers to join him on a road trip to Orkney.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of canceling

Verb

But rolling back a climate law that isn’t the cause won’t fix it, and neither will a five-year reprieve for old power plants.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Some retailers, such as Walmart, have responded by rolling back food prices, a trend that could have lowered July’s inflation figures.

— Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of rolling back

Verb

Yet its bodywork is relatively restrained, avoiding the huge wings, complex vents and aggressive appendages found on many contemporary hypercars.

— Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a Gwinnett County man in 2022, avoiding a trial that was set to begin Monday in federal court in Atlanta.

— Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

The president’s tariffs during his second term have faced an array of legal challenges, with the Supreme Court overturning some of them in February.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Ominously, the order pledges federal pressure, including from the Justice Department, to push states into overturning their own vaccine mandates.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026