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.
When the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in May 2018, a handful of states were ready to go almost immediately. Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2024 Spending has been highest in Florida, where voters will decide whether to return to the standard the state had in place before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. April Rubin, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 Yet the outcome stands to dictate whether Louisiana’s map can survive in future years and carry broader repercussions for how remedial designs can be drawn once a court strikes down a map under the Voting Rights Act. Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024 The rules, which included a last-minute requirement to hand count ballots, were struck down last week during a dizzying set of court cases. Melissa Cruz, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near strike down

Cite this Entry

“Strike down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strike%20down. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!