strike down

verb

struck down; struck down also stricken down; striking down; strikes down

transitive verb

: annul, nullify
the board struck down the appointment
especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable
the Supreme Court struck down the law

Examples of strike down in a Sentence

a law that was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As lawyers on either side attempted to find a class of people unbiased enough to deliver a fair verdict for one of the most famous men in music, potential candidates were struck down for a host of different reasons. Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 May 2025 Trying anyway would be struck down under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Commerce Clause— exactly what killed Trump's narrower 2020 MFN model in federal court. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025 This novel maritime attack, near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, was the first instance of a combat aircraft being struck down by a drone ship anywhere in the world. Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 Republicans in Washington have been trying to strike down progressive immigration policies such as those in Illinois ever since Trump took office in January. Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for strike down

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strike down was in 1779

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Strike down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20down. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

strike down

verb
: to make null and void : annul
struck down the proposal
especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable
the court struck down the law

Legal Definition

strike down

transitive verb
: annul, nullify
the trustee…can strike down transfersJ. J. White and R. S. Summers
especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable
the court struck down death penalty provisions L. H. Tribe

More from Merriam-Webster on strike down

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!