strike
verb /straɪk/
/straɪk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they strike | /straɪk/ /straɪk/ |
| he / she / it strikes | /straɪks/ /straɪks/ |
| past simple struck | /strʌk/ /strʌk/ |
| past participle struck | /strʌk/ /strʌk/ |
| -ing form striking | /ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ /ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] (formal) to hit somebody/something hard or with force
- strike somebody/something The ship struck a rock.
- The child ran into the road and was struck by a car.
- The tree was struck by lightning.
- Warplanes struck several targets in the city.
- strike somebody/something + adv./prep. He fell, striking his head on the edge of the table.
- He was struck in the head by a bullet.
- The stone struck her on the forehead.
- strike against something The oar struck against something hard.
Synonyms hithit- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against somebody/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 by accident:
- 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.
- 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 Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- hard
- deep
- …
- be about to
- be going to
- be ready to
- …
- against
- at
- on
- …
- be struck by lightning
- get struck by lightning
- be struck down by something
- …
- [transitive] (formal) to hit somebody/something with your hand or a weapon
- strike somebody/something She struck him in the face.
- He struck the table with his fist.
- Who struck the first blow (= started the fight)?
- Did she ever strike you?
- strike somebody/something sth He struck her two blows on the leg.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- hard
- deep
- …
- be about to
- be going to
- be ready to
- …
- against
- at
- on
- …
- be struck by lightning
- get struck by lightning
- be struck down by something
- …
- [transitive] strike something (+ adv./prep.) (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.
- [intransitive] to attack somebody/something, especially suddenly
- The lion crouched ready to strike.
- Police fear that the killer may strike again.
- The guerrillas struck with deadly force.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- hard
- deep
- …
- be about to
- be going to
- be ready to
- …
- against
- at
- on
- …
- be struck by lightning
- get struck by lightning
- be struck down by something
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to happen suddenly and have a harmful or damaging effect on somebody/something
- Two days later tragedy struck.
- Disaster struck again when their best player was injured.
- strike somebody/something The area was struck by an outbreak of cholera.
Extra Examples- A hurricane is about to strike Jamaica.
- Earthquakes can strike without warning.
- The disease first struck her 10 years ago.
- [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.
- One thing that really struck me was how calm he appeared.
- it strikes somebody how, what, etc… It suddenly struck me how we could improve the situation.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- immediately
- suddenly
- just
- …
- as
- [transitive] to give somebody a particular impression
- strike somebody Another part of his comment struck me.
- strike somebody as something His reaction struck me as odd.
- She strikes me as a very efficient person.
- How does the idea strike you?
- it strikes somebody that… It strikes me that nobody is really in favour of the changes.
Extra Examples- He always struck me as being rather stupid.
- It struck me as strange that there was no one there.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- immediately
- suddenly
- just
- …
- as
- [intransitive] to refuse to work because of an argument over pay or conditions
- Over 100 000 civil servants are set to strike on Tuesday.
- strike over something Drivers are threatening to strike over pay.
- strike for something The union has voted to strike for a pay increase of 6%.
- Striking workers picketed the factory.
WordfinderTopics Social issuesb2, Working lifeb2- ballot
- closed shop
- collective bargaining
- industrial action
- labour
- picket
- protest
- representative
- strike
- union
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + strike- threaten to
- vote to
- be set to
- …
- against
- for
- in protest at
- …
- the right to strike
- [transitive] strike something to fall on a surface
- The windows sparkled as the sun struck the glass.
- [transitive] strike somebody + adj. [usually passive] to put somebody suddenly into a particular state
- to be struck dumb/deaf/blind
- [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.
- [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.
- [transitive] strike something to produce a musical note, sound, etc. by pressing a key or hitting something
- She struck a chord on the piano and the children began to sing.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- firmly
- hard
- deep
- …
- be about to
- be going to
- be ready to
- …
- against
- at
- on
- …
- be struck by lightning
- get struck by lightning
- be struck down by something
- …
- [transitive] strike something to discover gold, oil, etc. by digging or drilling
- They had struck oil!
- [intransitive] strike + adv./prep. to go somewhere with great energy or purpose
- We left the road and struck off across the fields.
- He struck out (= started swimming) towards the shore.
- The German army struck deep into northern France.
hit somebody/something
kick/hit ball
attack
of disaster/disease
thought/idea/impression
of workers
of light
dumb/deaf/blind
match
of clock
make sound
gold/oil, etc.
go with purpose
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.
Idioms
be struck by/on/with somebody/something
- (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.
Extra Examples- I was particularly struck by the sound of the birds.
- Joan was struck quite forcibly by the silence.
drive/strike a hard bargain
- to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangementTopics Discussion and agreementc2
hit/strike home
- 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.
hit/strike pay dirt
- (informal) to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich
- The band really hit pay dirt with their last album.
hit/strike the right/wrong note
- (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.
- Unfortunately, the president struck the wrong note in his speech, ignoring the public mood.
hit/strike the woodwork
- (British English, informal) to hit the wooden frame of the goal in the game of football (soccer), instead of scoring a goal
- She hit the woodwork twice before scoring.
lightning never strikes (in the same place) twice
- (saying) an unusual or unpleasant event is not likely to happen in the same place or to the same people twice
sound/strike a note (of something)
- 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.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc2- He sounded a cautionary note.
- His opening remarks struck the right note.
strike a balance (between A and B)
- to manage to find a way of being fair to two things that are opposed to each other; to find an acceptable position that is between two things
- We need to strike a balance between these conflicting interests.
strike a bargain/deal (with somebody/something)
- to make an agreement with somebody in which both sides have an advantage
- Perhaps we could strike a bargain.
- The United States has struck a historic deal with India.
strike a blow for/against/at something
- to do something in support of/against a belief, principle, etc.
- He felt that they had struck a blow for democracy.
strike/touch a chord (with somebody)
- to say or do something that makes people feel sympathy or enthusiasm
- The speaker had obviously struck a chord with his audience.
strike fear, etc. into somebody/sb’s heart
- (formal) to make somebody be afraid, etc.
- The sound of gunfire struck fear into the hearts of the villagers.
strike gold
- to find or do something that brings you a lot of success or money
- He has struck gold with his latest novel.
strike/hit home
- if a remark, etc. strikes/hits home, it has a strong effect on somebody, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are
- His face went pale as her words struck home.
strike it rich
- (informal) to get a lot of money, especially suddenly or unexpectedly
strike (it) lucky
- (informal) to have good luck
- We certainly struck it lucky with the weather.
strike a nerve (with somebody)
- to have a strong effect
- His work strikes a nerve with people who are attracted to nostalgia.
- It seems I struck a nerve with my last post about cell phones.
- Nissan may well strike a popular nerve here.
strike/hit pay dirt
- (informal) to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich
- The band really struck pay dirt with their last album.
strike a pose/an attitude
- to hold your body in a particular way to create a particular impression
- to strike a dramatic pose
- (figurative) He strikes an attitude of bravery and lonely defiance.
strike/hit the right/wrong note
- (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 strikes just the right note of horror and disbelief.
strike while the iron is hot
- (saying) to make use of an opportunity immediately
within striking distance (of something)
- 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.