- strike
- [[t]stra͟ɪk[/t]]
♦♦(The form struck is the past tense and past participle. The form stricken can also be used as the past participle for meanings 6, 17, and 19.)1) N-COUNT: also on N When there is a strike, workers stop doing their work for a period of time, usually in order to try to get better pay or conditions for themselves.
French air traffic controllers have begun a three-day strike in a dispute over pay...
Staff at the hospital went on strike in protest at the incidents.
...a call for strike action.
2) VERB When workers strike, they go on strike....their recognition of the workers' right to strike...
[V for/against n] They shouldn't be striking for more money...
[V-ing] The government agreed not to sack any of the striking workers.
Derived words:striker plural N-COUNTThe strikers want higher wages, which state governments say they can't afford.
3) VERB If you strike someone or something, you deliberately hit them. [FORMAL][V n prep/adv] She took two quick steps forward and struck him across the mouth...
[V n prep/adv] He struck the ball straight into the hospitality tents...
[V n prep/adv] I struck it away and got a bite on my forearm...
[V n] It is impossible to say who struck the fatal blow.
Syn:4) VERB If something that is falling or moving strikes something, it hits it. [FORMAL][V n] His head struck the bottom when he dived into the 6ft end of the pool...
[V n] One 16-inch shell struck the control tower...
[V n] He was killed when he was struck by a car as he walked to his hotel.
[V n] ...the fire which began when the installation was struck by lightning.
Syn:5) V-ERG If you strike one thing against another, or if one thing strikes against another, the first thing hits the second thing. [FORMAL][V n on/against n] Wilde fell and struck his head on the stone floor...
[V against n] My right toe struck against a submerged rock.
Syn:6) VERB If something such as an illness or disaster strikes, it suddenly happens.Bank of England officials continued to insist that the pound would soon return to stability but disaster struck...
Both of them were afflicted with a rare genetic disease, which struck in their thirties...
[V n] A powerful earthquake struck the Italian island of Sicily early this morning...
[V n] He was suddenly struck with such a sense of grief, of loss, that his eyes filled with tears.
[V n] ...a young woman who had been stricken with polio.
7) VERB To strike means to attack someone or something quickly and violently.Criminals and terrorists were able to strike in one country then flee to another...
The killer says he will strike again...
Then the scorpion struck.
8) N-COUNT: with supp, oft N against n A military strike is a military attack, especially an air attack....a punitive air strike.
...a nuclear strike.
...strategic strikes against Italian air bases.
9) VERB If something strikes at the heart or root of something, it attacks or conflicts with the basic elements or principles of that thing. [LITERARY][V at n] ...a rejection of her core beliefs and values, which strikes at the very heart of her being...
[V at n] The issue strikes at the very foundation of our community.
10) VERB: no cont If an idea or thought strikes you, it suddenly comes into your mind.[V n] A thought struck her. Was she jealous of her mother, then?...
[it V n that/how] At this point, it suddenly struck me that I was wasting my time.
11) VERB If something strikes you as being a particular thing, it gives you the impression of being that thing.[V n as n/adj] He struck me as a very serious but friendly person...
[V n as n/adj] What struck me as interesting is how much we judge other people by the clothes they wear...
[V n as -ing] You've always struck me as being an angry man.
12) VERB If you are struck by something, you think it is very impressive, noticeable, or interesting.[be V-ed by/with n] She was struck by his simple, spellbinding eloquence...
[be V-ed by/with n] Theresa was struck by her own lack of forethought...
[V n] What struck me about the firm is how genuinely friendly and informal it is.
13) V-RECIP If you strike a deal or a bargain with someone, you come to an agreement with them.[V n with n] They struck a deal with their paper supplier, getting two years of newsprint on credit...
[pl-n V n] The two struck a deal in which Rendell took half of what a manager would...
[V n (non-recip)] He insists he has struck no bargains for their release.
14) VERB If you strike a balance, you do something that is halfway between two extremes.[V n] At times like that you have to strike a balance between sleep and homework.
15) VERB If you strike a pose or attitude, you put yourself in a particular position, for example when someone is taking your photograph.[V n] She struck a pose, one hand on her hip and the other waving an imaginary cigarette.
Syn:16) VERB If something strikes fear into people, it makes them very frightened or anxious. [LITERARY][V n into n] If there is a single subject guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of parents, it is drugs.
17) VERB: usu passive If you are struck dumb or blind, you suddenly become unable to speak or to see. [WRITTEN][be V-ed adj] I was struck dumb by this and had to think it over for a moment...
[be V-ed adj] For this revelation he was struck blind by the goddess Hera.
18) VERB When a clock strikes, its bells make a sound to indicate what the time is.[V n] The clock struck nine...
Finally, the clock strikes.
19) VERB If you strike words from a document or an official record, you remove them. [FORMAL][V n from n] Strike that from the minutes...
Strike out means the same as strike.Also V n P
V P n (not pron) The censor struck out the next two lines.20) VERB When you strike a match, you make it produce a flame by moving it quickly against something rough.[V n] Robina struck a match and held it to the crumpled newspaper in the grate.
21) VERB If someone strikes oil or gold, they discover it in the ground as a result of mining or drilling.[V n] Hamilton Oil announced that it had struck oil in the Liverpool Bay area of the Irish Sea.
22) VERB: usu passive When a coin or medal is struck, it is made.[be V-ed] Another medal was specially struck for him.
23) N-COUNT: N against n If someone has two strikes against them, things cause them to be in a bad situation or at a disadvantage. [mainly AM, INFORMAL]The Hotel has two strikes against it. One, it's an immense ugly concrete building. Second, it lies in a rather awkward position...
When I got out I couldn't find any work, and for being an ex-con, that was a strike against me.
Syn:24) → See also , striking, hunger strike25) PHRASE: oft PHR of n If you are within striking distance of something, or if something is within striking distance, it is quite near, so it could be reached or achieved quite easily.I believe we are within striking distance of an agreement...
The airport was within striking distance: no more than sixty miles to the west.
Syn:26) PHRASE: V inflects If you strike gold, you find, do, or produce something that brings you a lot of money or success. [JOURNALISM]The company has struck gold with its new holiday development, Center Parcs.
27) PHRASE: V inflects If you strike it rich, you make a lot of money, especially in a short time. [INFORMAL]He hoped to strike it rich by investing in ginseng.
Phrasal Verbs:
English dictionary. 2008.
