- 1 [transitive] strike somebody/something (formal) to hit somebody/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. Synonymshitknock bang strike bump bashThese words all mean to come against something with a lot of force.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 somebody/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 somebody/something hard:The ship struck a rock.bump to hit somebody/something accidentally:In the darkness I bumped into a chair.bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:I braked too late, bashing into the car in front.Patterns to hit/knock/bang/bump/bash against somebody/something to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfirmly, hard, deep, … verb + strikebe about to, be going to, be ready to, … prepositionagainst, at, on, … phrasesbe struck by lightning, get struck by lightning, be struck down by something, … See full entry
- 2 [transitive] strike somebody/something (something) (formal) to hit somebody/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)? Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfirmly, hard, deep, … verb + strikebe about to, be going to, be ready to, … prepositionagainst, at, on, … phrasesbe struck by lightning, get struck by lightning, be struck down by something, … See full entry kick/hit ball
- 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 somebody/something, especially suddenly The lion crouched ready to strike. Police fear that the killer may strike again. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfirmly, hard, deep, … verb + strikebe about to, be going to, be ready to, … prepositionagainst, at, on, … phrasesbe struck by lightning, get struck by lightning, be struck down by something, … See full entry See related entries: Conflict of disaster/disease
- 5 [intransitive, transitive] to happen suddenly and have a harmful or damaging effect on somebody/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 somebody’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. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbimmediately, suddenly, just, … prepositionas See full entry
- 7 [transitive] to give somebody 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 favour of the changes. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbimmediately, suddenly, just, … prepositionas See full entry of light
- 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 somebody suddenly into a particular state to be struck dumb/deaf/blind of workers
- 10 [intransitive] strike (for something) to refuse to work, because of a disagreement over pay or conditions The union has voted to strike for a pay increase of 6%. Striking workers picketed the factory. Wordfinderunionballot, closed shop, collective bargaining, industrial action, labour, picket, protest, representative, strike, union Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + strikethreaten to, vote to, be set to, … prepositionagainst, for, in protest at, … phrasesthe right to strike See full entry See related entries: Protest match
- 11[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. of clock
- 12[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
- 13[transitive] strike something to produce a musical note, sound, etc. by pressing a key or hitting something to strike a chord on the piano Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfirmly, hard, deep, … verb + strikebe about to, be going to, be ready to, … prepositionagainst, at, on, … phrasesbe struck by lightning, get struck by lightning, be struck down by something, … See full entry gold/oil, etc.
- 14[transitive] strike something to discover gold, oil, etc. by digging or drilling They had struck oil! go with purpose
- 15[intransitive] strike (off/out) to go somewhere with great energy or purpose We left the road and struck off across the fields. Word OriginOld English strīcan ‘go, flow’ and ‘rub lightly’, of West Germanic origin; related to German streichen ‘to stroke’, also to stroke. The sense ‘deliver a blow’ dates from Middle English.Extra examples A hurricane is about to strike Jamaica. Drivers are threatening to strike over pay. Earthquakes can strike without warning. He always struck me as being rather stupid. He struck her hard across the face. He struck the ball firmly into the back of the net. He was struck down with food poisoning. I was particularly struck by the sound of the birds. It struck me as strange that there was no one there. Joan was struck quite forcibly by the silence. One thing that really struck me was how calm he appeared. Over 100 000 civil servants are set to strike on Tuesday. The German army struck deep into northern France. The ball struck her on the head. The oar struck against something hard. The remark struck home. An earthquake, measuring 7 on the Richter scale, struck the islands yesterday. Did she ever strike you? Disaster struck again when their best player was injured. Four o’clock had just struck. He fell, striking his head on the floor. She struck a chord on the piano and the children began to sing. The child was struck by a car. The disease first struck her 10 years ago. The guerrillas struck with deadly force. The old tree had been struck by lightning. The stone struck him on the forehead. Warplanes struck several targets in the city. Who struck the first blow?Idioms
verb jump to other results
BrE BrE//straɪk//; NAmE NAmE//straɪk//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they strike BrE BrE//straɪk//; NAmE NAmE//straɪk//
he / she / it strikes BrE BrE//straɪks//; NAmE NAmE//straɪks//
past simple struck BrE BrE//strʌk//; NAmE NAmE//strʌk//
past participle struck BrE BrE//strʌk//; NAmE NAmE//strʌk//
-ing form striking BrE BrE//ˈstraɪkɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈstraɪkɪŋ//
Protest, Conflict(informal) to be impressed or interested by somebody/something; to like somebody/something very much I was struck by her youth and enthusiasm. We're not very struck on that new restaurant.
to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangement
if a remark, etc. hits/strikes home, it has a strong effect on somebody, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are Her face went pale as his words hit home.
(informal) to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich The band really hit pay dirt with their last album.
(especially British English) 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.
(saying) an unusual or unpleasant event is not likely to happen in the same place or to the same people twice
to express feelings or opinions of a particular kind She sounded a note of warning in her speech. The touch of cynicism struck a slightly sour note.
to manage to find a way of being fair to two opposing things; to find an acceptable position which is between two things
to make an agreement with somebody 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.
(formal) to make somebody 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.
(informal) to get a lot of money, especially suddenly or unexpectedly
(informal) 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
(saying) 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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