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.
Its motion eventually was struck down in December 2020 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025 Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr celebrated an FCC court loss yesterday after a ruling that struck down Biden-era diversity reporting requirements that Carr voted against while Democrats were in charge. ArsTechnica, 20 May 2025 The impersonation provisions in the bill are a response to a 2021 law that was partially struck down by the Kansas Supreme Court for being overly broad and unconstitutional, according to Hammet’s testimony. Tyler Kirby, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2025 Earlier this month a federal court struck down a Trump executive order that targeted a law firm that represents many of his rivals. Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 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

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Cite this Entry

“Strike down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20down. Accessed 29 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

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