(baseball) a pitch that the batter swings at and misses, or that the batter hits into foul territory, or that the batter does not swing at but the umpire judges to be in the area over home plate and between the batter's knees and shoulders

“this pitcher throws more strikes than balls”

06noun

a conspicuous success

“that song was his first hit and marked the beginning of his career”

“that new Broadway show is a real smasher”

07verb

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

“The teacher struck the child”

“the opponent refused to strike”

08verb

have an emotional or cognitive impact upon

“This child impressed me as unusually mature”

“This behavior struck me as odd”

09verb

hit against; come into sudden contact with

“The car hit a tree”

“He struck the table with his elbow”

10verb

make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target

“The Germans struck Poland on Sept. 1, 1939”

“We must strike the enemy's oil fields”

11verb

indicate (a certain time) by striking

“The clock struck midnight”

“Just when I entered, the clock struck”

12verb

affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely

“We were hit by really bad weather”

“He was stricken with cancer when he was still a teenager”

13verb

stop work in order to press demands

“The auto workers are striking for higher wages”

“The employees walked out when their demand for better benefits was not met”

14verb

touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly

“Light fell on her face”

“The sun shone on the fields”

15verb

attain

“The horse finally struck a pace”

16verb

produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments

“The pianist strikes a middle C”

“strike ‘z’ on the keyboard”

17verb

cause to form (an electric arc) between electrodes of an arc lamp

“strike an arc”

18verb

find unexpectedly

“the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb”

“she struck a goldmine”

19verb

produce by ignition or a blow

“strike fire from the flintstone”

“strike a match”

20verb

remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line

“Please strike this remark from the record”

“scratch that remark”

21verb

cause to experience suddenly

“Panic struck me”

“An interesting idea hit her”

22verb

drive something violently into a location

“he hit his fist on the table”

“she struck her head on the low ceiling”

23verb

occupy or take on

“He assumes the lotus position”

“She took her seat on the stage”

24verb

disassemble a temporary structure, such as a tent or a theatrical set

“after the show, we'll have to strike the set and pack up”

25verb

form by stamping, punching, or printing

“strike coins”

“strike a medal”

26verb

smooth with a strickle

“strickle the grain in the measure”

27verb

pierce with force

“The bullet struck her thigh”

“The icy wind struck through our coats”

28verb

hook by a pull on the line

“strike a fish”

29verb

arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing

“strike a balance”

“strike a bargain”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

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Expressions with “strike”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

strike up strike off strike out strike pay strike back strike down strike dumb strike hard