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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
This makes sense considering that abortion’s legal status in Wisconsin has been hotly contested since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022. Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2024 The conservative group’s civil rights complaint comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024 If a President overstated the crisis, the order could be struck down in court. Brian Bennett, TIME, 15 Oct. 2024 The election board in Cobb County asked a judge to strike down the new rules, which also include other new requirements for the ballot counting process. Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 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 5 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
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