- 1[transitive] strike somebody/something (formal) to hit someone or something hard or with force The ship struck a rock. The child ran into the road and was struck by a car. The tree was struck by lightning. He fell, striking his head on the edge of the table. The stone struck her on the forehead. Thesaurushit
- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against something with force, especially causing damage or injury:The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put someone or something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit someone or something hard:The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit someone or something accidentally:In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:I braked too late and bashed into the car in front of me.
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash on something
- to hit/knock/bang/strike/bump/bash something with something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
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- 2[transitive] strike somebody/something (something) (formal) to hit someone or something with your hand or a weapon She struck him in the face. He struck the table with his fist. Who struck the first blow (= started the fight)?
- 3[transitive] strike something (formal) to hit or kick a ball, etc. He walked up to the penalty spot and struck the ball firmly into the back of the net. attack
- 4[intransitive] to attack someone or something, especially suddenly The lion crouched ready to strike. Police fear that the killer may strike again. of disaster/disease
- 5[intransitive, transitive] to happen suddenly and have a harmful or damaging effect on someone or something Two days later tragedy struck. strike somebody/something The area was struck by an outbreak of cholera. thought/idea/impression
- 6[transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) (of a thought or an idea) to come into someone's mind suddenly strike somebody An awful thought has just struck me. I was struck by her resemblance to my aunt. it strikes somebody how, what, etc… It suddenly struck me how we could improve the situation.
- 7[transitive] to give someone a particular impression strike somebody (as something) His reaction struck me as odd. How does the idea strike you? She strikes me as a very efficient person. it strikes somebody that… It strikes me that nobody is really in favor of the changes.
- 8[transitive] strike something to fall on a surface The windows sparkled as the sun struck the glass. dumb/deaf/blind
- 9[transitive] strike somebody + adj. [usually passive] to put someone suddenly into a particular state to be struck dumb/deaf/blind remove
- 10(struck, stricken) [transitive] strike somebody/something from/off something to remove someone or something from something written, such as a list or record Strike his name from the list. of workers
- 11[intransitive] strike (for something) to refuse to work as a protest The union has voted to strike for a pay increase of 6%. Striking workers picketed the factory. match
- 12[transitive, intransitive] strike (something) to rub something such as a match against a surface so that it produces a flame; to produce a flame when rubbed against a rough surface to strike a match on a wall The sword struck sparks off the stone floor. The matches were damp and he couldn't make them strike.
- 13[intransitive, transitive] to show the time by making a ringing noise, etc. synonym chime Did you hear the clock strike? Four o'clock had just struck. strike something The clock has just struck three. make sound
- 14[transitive] strike something to produce a musical note, sound, etc. by pressing a key or hitting something to strike a chord on the piano gold/oil, etc.
- 15[transitive] strike something to discover gold, oil, etc. by digging or drilling They had struck oil! go with purpose
- 16[intransitive] strike (off/out) to go somewhere with great energy or purpose We left the road and struck off across the fields. make coin
- 17[transitive, usually passive] strike something to make a coin Those gold coins were struck in 1907.
- 18[transitive] strike something to take down tents, sails, etc. It took many hours to strike camp (= take down the tents that people live in). The ship struck her flag and surrendered. Idioms
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NAmE//straɪk//
In sense 10 the past participle is stricken NAmE//ˈstrɪkən//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they strike he / she / it strikes
past simple struck
past participle struck
-ing form striking
to be impressed or interested by someone or something I was struck by her youth and enthusiasm.
to attract or please someone She looked through the hotel ads until one of them caught her fancy.
to argue in an aggressive way and force someone to agree on the best possible price or arrangement
if a remark, etc. hits/ strikes home, it has a strong effect on someone, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are Her face went pale as his words hit home.
to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich The band really hit pay dirt with their last album.
to do, say, or write something that is suitable/not suitable for a particular occasion It is a bizarre tale and the author hits just the right note of horror and disbelief.
an unusual or unpleasant event is not likely to happen in the same place or to the same people twice
to manage to find a way of being fair to two opposing things; to find an acceptable position that is between two things
to make an agreement with someone in which both sides have an advantage
to do something in support of/against a belief, principle, etc. He felt that they had struck a blow for democracy.
to say or do something that makes people feel sympathy or enthusiasm The speaker had obviously struck a chord with his audience.
to make someone be afraid, etc.
to find or do something that brings you a lot of success or money He has struck gold with his latest novel.
to get a lot of money, especially suddenly or unexpectedly
to have good luck We certainly struck it lucky with the weather.
to hold your body in a particular way to create a particular impression to strike a dramatic pose
to make use of an opportunity immediately This expression refers to a blacksmith making a shoe for a horse. He has to strike/hammer the iron while it is hot enough to bend into the shape of the shoe.
near enough to be reached or attacked easily; near enough to reach or attack something easily The beach is within striking distance. The cat was now within striking distance of the duck. Phrasal Verbsstrike atstrike backstrike downstrike offstrike outstrike up
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