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

Synonyms

• abate
• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• avoid
• cancel
• disannul
• dissolve
• invalidate
• negate
• null
• nullify
• quash
• repeal
• rescind
• roll back
• vacate
• void

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

Last week a Delaware judge struck down his 2018 pay package at Tesla valued at more than $100 billion for a second time. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024

Last weekend, a Nevada probate judge struck down Murdoch’s attempt to amend his family succession plan. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

More than 160 House and Senate Democrats have called on the Supreme Court to strike down the Volunteer State’s ban. —The Hill Staff, The Hill, 4 Dec. 2024

But the court’s three liberals argued just as strongly that the conservative state laws discriminate against transgender teens and should be struck down. —David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

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 transfers

—J. J. White and R. S. Summers

especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable

the court struck down death penalty provisions

—L. H. Tribe