Definition of “strike” - English Dictionary

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“strike” in English

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strikeverb

uk ​ /straɪk/ us ​ /straɪk/ struck, struck

strike verb (STOP WORK)

B2 [ I ] to refuse to continue working because of an argument with an employer about working conditions, pay levels, or job losses:

Democratization has brought workers the right to strike and join a trade union.
We're striking for better pay and improved safety standards.

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strike verb (CAUSE SUFFERING)

C2 [ I or T ] to cause a person or place to suffer severely from the effects of something very unpleasant that happens suddenly:

I have a life insurance policy that will take care of my family if disaster strikes.
The disease has struck the whole community, sometimes wiping out whole families.
They predict that a large earthquake will strike the west coast before the end of the decade.

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strike verb (HIT)

B1 [ I or T ] to hit or attack someone or something forcefully or violently:

Her car went out of control and struck an oncoming vehicle.
The police have warned the public that the killer could strike again.
The autopsy revealed that his murderer had struck him on the head with an iron bar.
Have you ever been struck by lightning?
My golf was terrible today - I just didn't strike the ball well.

B1 [ I or T ] to kick a football, especially hard so that it travels a long distance :

Beckham struck the ball with precision.

› [ I or T ] When a clock strikes, its bells ring to show what the time is:

The clock was striking ten as we went into the church.

› [ I ] When a particular time strikes, a clock's bells ring to tell people what time it is:

Midnight had just struck when I went upstairs to bed.

C2 [ T ] If you strike a match, you cause it to burn by rubbing it against a hard rough surface:

She struck a match and lit another cigarette.
He bent and struck a match on the sole of his boot.

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strike verb (FEEL/THINK)

B2 [ T ] to cause someone to have a feeling or idea about something:

Doesn't it strike you as odd that he never talks about his family?
I was immediately struck by the similarities between the two murders.
So how does my proposition strike you? (= What do you think of it?)
[ + (that) ] It strikes me (that) you'd be better off working for someone else.

B2 [ T ] If a thought or idea strikes you, you suddenly think of it:

[ + that ] It's just struck me that I still owe you for the concert tickets.
Sitting at her desk, she was struck by the thought that there had to be something more to life.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

be struck dumb
strike a balance
strike a blow against/at sth
strike a blow for sth
strike a chord
strike a note
strike at the heart of sth
strike an attitude/attitudes
strike fear/terror into sb
strike gold
strike home
strike it lucky
strike it rich
strike while the iron is hot
within striking distance

Phrasal verb(s)

strike back
strike sb down
strike sth down
strike sb off (sth)
strike on/upon sth
strike out (somewhere)
strike out
strike (sb) out
strike out (at sb/sth)
strike sth out/through
strike up (sth)
strike up sth

strikenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /straɪk/ us ​ /straɪk/

strike noun [ C ] (STOP WORK)

B2 a period of time when workers refuse to work because of an argument with an employer about working conditions, pay levels, or job losses:

After last year's long and bitter strike, few people want more industrial action.
They had to play three games with replacement players after the NFL Players Association called a strike.
Some miners were calling for a nationwide strike.
They have voted to stage lightning (= sudden and short) strikes in pursuit of their demands.
We've voted to stage a series of one-day strikes.
A wave of strikes swept the country.
Union leaders threatened strike action over the changes.
The result of the strike ballot will be known tomorrow morning.
on strike UK also out on strike

› taking part in a strike:

The city's bus drivers have been on strike for three weeks.
go on strike

› to start to strike:

All 2,500 employees went on strike in protest at the decision to close the factory.

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strike noun [ C ] (HIT)

› a sudden and powerful hit or attack:

Lightning conductors protect buildings and tall structures from lightning strikes.
See also
strike force

› a hard kick of a football, especially one that makes it travel a long distance:

Garner scored with a 30 -yard strike in the 89th minute.

› a sudden, short military attack, especially one by aircraft or missiles:

The United Nations has authorized the use of air strikes.
The violence is unlikely to stop without military strikes against terrorist bases.
Would you support a nuclear strike to bring an end to a war?
We have no intention of launching a pre-emptive strike, but we will retaliate if provoked.

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strike noun [ C ] (FAILURE)

› (in baseball) a ball that has been thrown by the pitcher and not been hit successfully when it should have been:

A batter is out after three strikes.

› US a failure, mistake, or disadvantage:

California's "three strikes and you're out" bill means that from now on criminals found guilty of three crimes are jailed for life.
One strike against him as a candidate is his perceived lack of charisma.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

(Definition of “strike” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“strike” in American English

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strikeverb

us ​ /strɑɪk/ past tense and past participle struck /strʌk/

strike verb (HIT)

› [ I/T ] to hit or physically attack someone or something:

[ T ] A car struck the man trying to cross a major highway.
[ T ] She was struck in the back of the head by a ball that was thrown across the field.

› [ I/T ] If you strike a match, you cause it to burn by rubbing it against a rough surface.

strike verb (CAUSE HARM)

› [ I/T ] past participle stricken /ˈstrɪk·ən/ to bring sudden harm, damage, or injury to a person or thing:

[ T ] It was a disease that struck mainly young people.
[ I ] Many public health officials fear that a similar flu virus will one day strike again.
[ T ] He was stricken with polio at the age of 13 and lost the use of his legs.

strike verb (STOP WORK)

› social studies [ I/T ] to refuse to continue working because workers or their labor union (= employees’ organization) cannot come to an agreement with an employer over pay or other conditions of the job:

[ I ] Flight attendants are threatening to strike to get more flexible schedules.

strike verb (CAUSE AN IDEA)

› [ T ] to cause someone to have a feeling or idea about something:

From what you’ve said, it strikes me that you would be better off working for someone else.
I was struck by her sincerity.

› [ T ] To strike also means to suddenly cause someone to think of something:

I was immediately struck by the similarities in their appearance.

strike verb (DISCOVER)

› [ T ] to discover something such as oil, gas, gold, etc., underground at a particular place:

to strike gold/oil

strike verb (AGREE)

› [ T ] to agree to or achieve a solution:

My children and I have struck a deal – they can play any kind of music they want as long as I don’t hear it.

› [ T ] If you strike a balance between two things, you try to give an equal amount of attention or importance to each:

It’s a question of striking the right balance between quality and productivity.

strike verb (SHOW THE TIME)

› [ I/T ] (esp. of a clock) to make a sound or a series of sounds that show the time:

[ T ] The clock struck midnight.

Idiom(s)

strike a chord (with someone)
strike it rich

Phrasal verb(s)

strike back
strike down something
strike out
strike out
strike out (someone)
strike out at someone/something
strike up something
strike up (something)

strikenoun

us ​ /strɑɪk/

strike noun (HIT)

› [ C ] a brief military attack:

air/military strikes

strike noun (REFUSAL TO WORK)

› [ C/U ] a period of time when workers refuse to continue working because they cannot come to an agreement with an employer:

[ U ] If the teachers go on strike again and close the schools down, I don’t know what I’ll do with the kids.

(Definition of “strike” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“strike” in Business English

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strikenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /straɪk/ us ​ HR, WORKPLACE

› a period of time when a group of workers refuse to work because they are not satisfied with their pay, working conditions, etc.:

In a statement, the union said there were no plans for a strike.
a postal/rail workers'/miners' strike
a 24-hour/2-day, etc. strike
call for/call off/avoid a strike Managers sought to avoid a strike by cabin crew over sick leave rules.
a strike by sb Fresh moves to stop more strikes by council workers will be made this week.
a strike against sth 20% of the workforce has joined a strike against the privatization plans announced yesterday.
a strike begins/ends/goes ahead The strike will begin at 6 a.m. Oct. 31 and end 24 hours later.
be on strike

› if a group of workers are on strike, they refuse to work because they are not satisfied with their pay, working conditions, etc.:

Refuse collectors are on strike and rubbish is now piling up across the region.
go (out) on strike also come/walk out on strike

› if a group of workers go on strike, they stop working because they are not satisfied with their pay, working conditions, etc.:

Around 160 staff are due to go on strike next week in a row over pay.
call/take/lead sb out on strike

› if a trade union or official organization calls, takes, or leads a group of workers out on strike, it announces that they are stopping working because they are not satisfied with their pay, working conditions, etc.:

The Police Federation has refused to take its members out on strike.

See also

all-out strike
general strike
lightning strike
official strike
sit-down strike
sympathy strike
token strike
unofficial strike
wildcat strike

strikeverb

uk ​ /straɪk/ us ​ struck, struck

› [ I ] HR, WORKPLACE if a group of workers strike, they refuse to work because they are not satisfied with their pay, working conditions, etc.:

Under current legislation, police and prison officers are not allowed to strike.
strike a deal/agreement (with sb/sth)

› [ T ] to agree to do business with another person or company:

Takeover money has been deposited in a bank account, in expectation of striking a deal before tomorrow.
The media group yesterday released the details of an agreement that it had struck with dissident investors concerning the forthcoming shareholder vote.
strike a balance (between sth and sth)

› [ T ] to find a way to satisfy two opposing demands or needs:

We have recruited younger members to the board in an effort to strike a balance between popular appeal and innovative experimentation.
strike gold [ T ] informal

› to do something that makes you very successful or rich, especially in a way that is unexpected:

After a slow start, the carmaker finally struck gold in the US.
strike oil/gold

› [ T ] NATURAL RESOURCES to find oil or gold under the surface of the earth:

The company announced it had struck oil at one of its wells in Siberia.

Phrasal verb(s)

strike sb/sth off
strike out
strike sth out

(Definition of “strike” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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strike

We must strike a balance between them.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
In all those structural reforms, it is important to strike this balance and to create a basis for improvements rather than to call for protest.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
The aim is also to promote policies enabling women and men to strike a balance between their professional and private lives, including their family responsibilities.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We want to drive democratisation processes forward, and we want to strike a balance between the traditional political fields of foreign policy now before us.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Great pressure had to be exerted before the right to join trade unions and the right to strike were at last included.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We need to strike a balance between introducing regulations that will allow the biotechnology industry to thrive in the future and maintaining public confidence.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I should like to close by saying that we need to strike a balance between animal protection, health and environmental aspects.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
The information about his hunger strike had been published all around the city and, as a result, he was fined for the hunger strike.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
They want to strike the pioneers of this fight, the communists who remain faithful to their ideals, because the followers are their friends and protégées.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We have to strike out on new pathways here, even if this will require greater involvement of those who directly profit.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English

Blogs about "strike"

Then I had an idea. (Expressions that describe ideas coming into our minds)

by Kate Woodford,

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