to deal a blow or stroke to (a person or thing), as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; hit.

to inflict, deliver, or deal (a blow, stroke, attack, etc.).

to drive so as to cause impact

to strike the hands together.

to thrust forcibly

Brutus struck a dagger into the dying Caesar.

to produce (fire, sparks, light, etc.) by percussion, friction, etc.

to cause (a match) to ignite by friction.

(of some natural or supernatural agency) to smite or blast

Lightning struck the spire. May God strike you dead!

to come into forcible contact or collision with; hit into or against

The ship struck a rock.

to reach or fall upon (the senses), as light or sound

A shrill peal of bells struck their ears.

to enter the mind of; occur to

A happy thought struck him.

to catch or arrest (the sight, hearing, etc.)

the first object that strikes one's eye.

to impress strongly

a picture that strikes one's fancy.

to impress in a particular manner

How does it strike you?

to come across, meet with, or encounter suddenly or unexpectedly

to strike the name of a friend in a newspaper.

to come upon or find (oil, ore, etc.) in drilling, prospecting, or the like.

to send down or put forth (a root), as a plant or cutting.

to arrive at or achieve by or as by balancing

to strike a balance; to strike a compromise.

to take apart or pull down (a structure or object, as a tent).

to remove from the stage (the scenery and properties of an act or scene)

to strike a set.

Nautical .

to lower or take down (a sail, mast, etc.).

to lower (a sail, flag, etc.) as a salute or as a sign of surrender.

to lower (something) into the hold of a vessel by means of a rope and tackle.

Falconry . to loosen (a hood) from the head of a hawk so that it may be instantly removed.

Angling .

to hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by making a sharp jerk on the line.

(of a fish) to snatch at (the bait).

to harpoon (a whale).

(in technical use) to make level or smooth.

to make level or even, as a measure of grain or salt, by drawing a strickle across the top.

to efface, cancel, or cross out, with or as with the stroke of a pen (usually fol. by out )

to strike a passage out of a book.

to impress or stamp (a coin, medal, etc.) by printing or punching

to strike a medal in commemoration.

to remove or separate with or as if with a cut (usually fol. by off )

Illness struck him off from social contacts. The butcher struck off a chop.

Masonry . to finish (a mortar joint) with a stroke of the trowel.

to indicate (the hour of day) by a stroke or strokes, as a clock

to strike 12.

to afflict suddenly, as with disease, suffering, or death (often fol. by down )

The plague struck Europe. Apoplexy struck him down.

to overwhelm emotionally, as with terror or fear; affect deeply.

to make blind, dumb, etc., suddenly, as if by a blow.

to implant or induce (a feeling)

to strike fear into a person.

to start or move suddenly into (vigorous movement)

The horse struck a gallop.

to assume (an attitude or posture)

He likes to strike a noble pose.

to cause (chill, warmth, etc.) to pass or penetrate quickly.

to come upon or reach in traveling or in a course of procedure

We struck Rome before dark.

to make, conclude, or ratify (an agreement, treaty, etc.).

to estimate or determine (a mean or average).

to leave off (work) or stop (working) as a coercive measure, or as at the close of the day.

(of a union or union member)

to declare or engage in a suspension of (work) until an employer grants certain demands, such as pay increases, an improved pension plan, etc.

to declare or engage in a suspension of work against (a factory, employer, industry, etc.) until certain demands are met.

to draw (a straight line); paint the edge of an area with (a regular, usually straight line).

Law . to choose (a jury) from a panel by striking off names until only the required number remains.

to deal or aim a blow or stroke, as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer.

to make an attack, esp. a planned military assault

Our troops struck at dawn.

to knock, rap, or tap.

to hit or dash on or against something, as a moving body does; come into forcible contact; collide.

to run upon a bank, rock, or other obstacle, as a ship does.

to fall, as light or sound does (fol. by on or upon ).

to make an impression on the mind, senses, etc., as something seen or heard.

to come suddenly or unexpectedly (usually fol. by on or upon )

to strike on a new way of doing a thing.

to sound by percussion

The clock strikes.

to be indicated by or as by such percussion

The hour has struck.

to ignite or be ignited by friction, as a match.

to make a stroke, as with the arms or legs in swimming or with an oar in rowing.

to produce a sound, music, etc., by touching a string or playing upon an instrument.

to take root, as a slip of a plant.

to go, proceed, or advance, esp. in a new direction

They struck out at dawn. They struck toward a new town.

U.S. Army . to act as a voluntary paid servant to a commissioned officer.

U.S. Navy . to work hard: strive (followed by for )

He is striking for yeoman.

(of a union or union member) to engage in a suspension of work until an employer or industry meets certain demands.

Nautical .

to lower the flag or colors, esp. as a salute or as a sign of surrender.

to run up the white flag of surrender.

Angling . (of fish) to swallow or take the bait.

an act or instance of striking.

a concerted stopping of work or withdrawal of workers' services, as to compel an employer to accede to workers' demands or in protest against terms or conditions imposed by an employer.

a temporary stoppage of something.

Also called strike plate. a metal plate on a jamb holding the bolt of the lock on a door when closed.

Baseball .

a pitch that is swung at and missed by the batter.

a pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.

a foul tip caught by the catcher when there are already two strikes against the batter.

a foul bunt when there are already two strikes against the batter.

a ball hit foul and not caught on the fly when there are less than two strikes against the batter.

Bowling .

the knocking down of all of the pins with the first bowl.

the score so made. Compare spare ( def. 22 ) .

Horology . the striking mechanism of a timepiece.

Brewing . the degree of excellence or strength of beer, ale, etc.

Angling .

a sharp jerk on the line, made in order to set the hook in the mouth of the fish.

a pull on the line, made by the fish in the process of taking the bait.

Coining . a quantity of coins struck at one time.

Geology .

the direction of the line formed by the intersection of the bedding plane of a bed or stratum of sedimentary rock with a horizontal plane.

the direction or trend of a structural feature, as an anticlinal axis or the lineation resulting from metamorphism.

the discovery of a rich vein or ore in mining, of petroleum in boring, etc.

Military . a planned attack, esp. by aircraft, on a target.

Military . describing a fighter-bomber aircraft designed to carry large payloads at high speeds and low altitudes and also to engage in air-to-air combat. ?

strike in, to interrupt suddenly; intervene

I struck in with a suggestion.

strike off,

Printing . to print

They struck off 300 copies of the book.

to remove or cancel, as from a record, list, etc.

His name was struck off the waiting list.

to produce rapidly and easily

She struck off several letters and had no more work to do.

to depart rapidly

We struck off for the country.

strike out,

Baseball . to put out or be put out by a strike-out

The pitcher walked two and struck out three. He struck out twice in three times at bat.

(of a person or effort) to fail

His next two business ventures struck out.

to lose favor.

to erase; cross out.

to set forth; venture forth

She struck out on her own at the age of 18.

strike up,

to begin to play or to sing

The orchestra struck up a waltz.

to set in operation; begin

Strike up the band!

to bring into being; commence; begin

to strike up an acquaintance with new neighbors.

have two strikes against one

to be in an unfavorable or a critical position

His age and his lack of education are two strikes against him in his search for a job.

on strike, engaged in a stoppage of work, services, or other activities

as by union workers to get better wages.

strike camp

to dismantle and pack up equipment; prepare to move on; break camp

The army struck camp and moved on.

strike hands, to conclude a bargain

as by shaking or joining hands; confirm an agreement

They reached a price satisfactory to both of them, and struck hands on it.

strike home

to deal an effective blow, hit a vulnerable part, or wound critically or mortally

The second arrow struck home.

to have the intended effect; hit the mark

The sermon on Christian charity struck home.

strike it rich

to come upon a valuable mineral or oil deposit.

to have sudden or unexpected financial success

She struck it rich in real estate.

strike oil. oil ( def. 18 ) .

verb

strike