What does "strike" mean?
A status resulting from a batter swinging and missing a pitch, or not swinging at a pitch when the ball goes in the strike zone, or hitting a foul ball that is not caught.
Strike
/stɹaɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A status resulting from a batter swinging and missing a pitch, or not swinging at a pitch when the ball goes in the strike zone, or hitting a foul ball that is not caught.
- Grammar: strike is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hit, abbreviate, abridge, administer.
- Useful contrasts: add, back to work, ball.
- Usage evidence: I have a good mind to strike you for being so rude.
How to use "strike"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "strike" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "strike" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "strike" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "strike" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "strike" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hit" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A status resulting from a batter swinging and missing a pitch, or not swinging at a pitch when the ball goes in the strike zone, or hitting a foul ball that is not caught.
"It was then I knew I had made my third mistake. Yes, three strikes right across the plate, and as I hollered "Honey, please wait" she was gone."
- 2 a conspicuous success wordnet
- 3 The act of knocking down all ten pins on the first roll of a frame.
- 4 (baseball) a pitch that the batter swings at and misses, or that the batter hits into foul territory, or that the batter does not swing at but the umpire judges to be in the area over home plate and between the batter's knees and shoulders wordnet
- 5 A work stoppage (or otherwise concerted stoppage of an activity) as a form of protest.
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 a score in tenpins: knocking down all ten with the first ball wordnet
- 7 A blow or application of physical force against something.
"Thus hand strikes now include single knuckle strikes, knife hand strikes, finger strikes, ridge hand strikes etc., and leg strikes include front kicks, knee strikes, axe kicks,[…]"
- 8 an attack that is intended to seize or inflict damage on or destroy an objective wordnet
- 9 An attack, not necessarily physical. broadly
"air strike; first strike"
- 10 a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions wordnet
- 11 In an option contract, the price at which the holder buys or sells if they choose to exercise the option.
- 12 a gentle blow wordnet
- 13 An old English measure of corn equal to the bushel. historical
"The sum is also used for the quarter, and the strike for the bushel."
- 14 The status of being the batsman that the bowler is bowling at.
"The batsmen have crossed, and Dhoni now has the strike."
- 15 The primary face of a hammer, opposite the peen.
- 16 The compass direction of the line of intersection between a rock layer and the surface of the Earth or another solid celestial body.
- 17 An instrument with a straight edge for levelling a measure of grain, salt, etc., scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.
- 18 Fullness of measure; the whole amount produced at one time. obsolete
"a strike of malt; a strike of coin"
- 19 Excellence; quality. broadly, obsolete
"[…]our cellarer shall have orders to deliver to thee a butt of sack, a runlet of Malvesie, and three hogsheads of ale of the first strike, yearly—If that will not quench thy thirst, thou must come to court, and become acquainted with my butler."
- 20 An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence.
- 21 A puddler's stirrer.
- 22 The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmail. obsolete
- 23 The discovery of a source of something.
"The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices)."
- 24 The strike plate of a door.
- 25 A nibble on the bait by a fish.
"I must admit that my focus was divided, which limited my fishing success. I made a few casts, then arranged my inanimate subjects and took photos. When my indicator went down on my first strike, I cleanly missed the hook up."
- 26 A cancellation postmark.
- 27 An imperfect matrix for type. historical
Verb
- 1 To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate. sometimes, transitive
"Please strike the last sentence."
- 2 cause to form (an electric arc) between electrodes of an arc lamp wordnet
- 3 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To hit. transitive
"Strike the door sharply with your foot and see if it comes loose. A bullet struck him. The ship struck a reef."
- 4 arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing wordnet
- 5 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast. transitive
"And they ſhall take of the blood and ſtrike it on the two ſide poſtes,[…]"
Show 64 more definitions
- 6 indicate (a certain time) by striking wordnet
- 7 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows. intransitive
"A hammer strikes against the bell of a clock."
- 8 make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target wordnet
- 9 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To manufacture, as by stamping. transitive
"We will strike a medal in your honour."
- 10 affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely wordnet
- 11 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; to run aground. dated, intransitive
"The ship struck in the night."
- 12 produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments wordnet
- 13 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes. Of a clock, to announce (an hour of the day), usually by one or more sounds. transitive
"The clock struck twelve. The drums strike up a march."
- 14 pierce with force wordnet
- 15 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To sound by percussion, with blows, or as if with blows. intransitive
"But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!"
- 16 hit against; come into sudden contact with wordnet
- 17 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke. transitive
"to strike a light"
- 18 smooth with a strickle wordnet
- 19 To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.; To cause to ignite by friction. transitive
"to strike a match"
- 20 hook by a pull on the line wordnet
- 21 To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate. transitive
"A tree strikes its roots deep."
- 22 deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon wordnet
- 23 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To punish; to afflict; to smite. transitive
"Alſo to puniſh the iuſt is not good, nor to ſtrike princes for equitie."
- 24 remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line wordnet
- 25 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To carry out a violent or illegal action. intransitive
"The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day."
- 26 form by stamping, punching, or printing wordnet
- 27 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To act suddenly, especially in a violent or criminal way. intransitive
"The bank robber struck on the 2nd and 5th of May."
- 28 disassemble a temporary structure, such as a tent or a theatrical set wordnet
- 29 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To impinge upon. figuratively, transitive
"The first thing to strike my eye was a beautiful pagoda. Tragedy struck when his brother was killed in a bush fire."
- 30 produce by ignition or a blow wordnet
- 31 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To impress, seem or appear to (a person). transitive
"Golf has always struck me as a waste of time."
- 32 have an emotional or cognitive impact upon wordnet
- 33 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To create an impression. transitive
"The news struck a sombre chord."
- 34 occupy or take on wordnet
- 35 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To score a goal.
"Defender Chris Baird struck twice early in the first half to help Fulham move out of the relegation zone and ease the pressure on manager Mark Hughes."
- 36 drive something violently into a location wordnet
- 37 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To make a sudden impression upon, as if by a blow; to affect with some strong emotion.
"to strike the mind with surprise; to strike somebody with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror"
- 38 cause to experience suddenly wordnet
- 39 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To affect by a sudden impression or impulse.
"The proposed plan strikes me favourably."
- 40 find unexpectedly wordnet
- 41 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To steal or rob; to take forcibly or fraudulently. UK, intransitive, obsolete, slang
"Now we haue well bousd, let vs strike some chete."
- 42 stop work in order to press demands wordnet
- 43 To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.; To borrow money from; to make a demand upon. archaic, slang
"I must borrow money, / And that some call a striking; [...]"
- 44 attain wordnet
- 45 To touch; to act by appulse.
"Let us conſider the red and white colours in Porphyre: Hinder light, but from ſtriking on it, and its Colours vaniſh[…]."
- 46 touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly wordnet
- 47 To hook (a fish) by a quick turn of the wrist. transitive
"Of course, almost any fool could strike a fish if it lay quiet in very shallow water."
- 48 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To haul down or lower (a flag, mast, etc.) transitive
- 49 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To capitulate; to signal a surrender by hauling down the colours. broadly, transitive
"The frigate has struck, sir! We've beaten them, the lily-livers!"
- 50 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To stop working as a protest to achieve better working conditions. broadly, intransitive, transitive
"Two men were put to work who could not set their looms; a third man was taken on who helped the inefficients to set the looms. The other weavers thought this was a breach of their union rules and 18 of them struck […]"
- 51 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To quit (one's job). broadly, dated, transitive
"It appears that a compositor had been engaged for the Northem Territory Times, and for a considerable time the editor seems to have led a comparatively unruffled existence; till in an evil hour the compositor was smitten with gold fever, and struck work."
- 52 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To dismantle and take away (a theater set; a tent; etc.). transitive
"“Strike the tent there!”—was the next order. As I hinted before, this whalebone marquee was never pitched except in port; and on board the Pequod, for thirty years, the order to strike the tent was well known to be the next thing to heaving up the anchor."
- 53 To take down, especially in the following contexts.; To unfasten, to loosen (chains, bonds, etc.). transitive
"He struck my chains, and gently spake and smiled: As they were loosened by that Hermit old, Mine eyes were of their madness half beguiled, To answer those kind looks."
- 54 To set off on a walk or trip. intransitive
"They struck off along the river."
- 55 To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate. intransitive
"Til a dart ſtrike through his liuer,[…]"
- 56 To break forth; to commence suddenly; with into. dated
"to strike into reputation; to strike into a run"
- 57 To become attached to something; said of the spat of oysters. intransitive
- 58 To make and ratify; to reach; to find. transitive
"to strike a bargain, deal or agreement"
- 59 To discover a source of something, often a buried raw material such as ore (especially gold) or crude oil.
"to strike gold"
- 60 To level (a measure of grain, salt, etc.) with a straight instrument, scraping off what is above the level of the top.
- 61 To cut off (a mortar joint, etc.) even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.
- 62 To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly.
"My eye struck a strange word in the text. They soon struck the trail."
- 63 To lade thickened sugar cane juice from a teache into a cooler. obsolete
"In the teache the subject is still further evaporated, till it is judged sufficiently boiled to be removed from the fire. This operation is usually called striking; (i.e.) lading the liquor, now exceedingly thick, into the cooler."
- 64 To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.
"[…]Beholde, I thought, He will[…]ſtrike his hand ouer the place, and recouer the leper."
- 65 To advance; to cause to go forward; used only in the past participle. obsolete
"[…]Well ſtrooke in yeares,[…]"
- 66 To balance (a ledger or account). transitive
- 67 To become saturated with salt. intransitive, obsolete
- 68 To run, or fade in colour. intransitive, obsolete
- 69 To do menial work for an officer. US, intransitive, obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"I have a good mind to strike you for being so rude."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "strike"?
Common synonyms include: hit, abbreviate, abridge, administer, adopt, advance.
How do you use "strike" in a sentence?
I have a good mind to strike you for being so rude.
How do you pronounce "strike"?
Pronounced /stɹaɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stryken, from Old English strīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *strīkan, from Proto-Germanic *strīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, rub, press”). Cognate with Dutch strijken, German streichen, Danish stryge, Icelandic strýkja, strýkva.
Etymology 2
English surname, from the verb strike.