strike
HighAll registers: formal, informal, business, military, sports.
Definition
Meaning
To hit something or someone with force, intentionally or unintentionally.
A wide-ranging term for a deliberate action that stops work as a protest; a military attack; a successful discovery; an impression formed; a sudden achievement; or a failure in baseball.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb is highly polysemous, with meanings spanning from physical impact to abstract discovery. The noun often refers to organized labor action. The meaning is heavily context-dependent.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In sports: 'Strike' in baseball (US) has a specific technical meaning (a pitched ball not swung at in the strike zone). In cricket (UK), a 'strike' can refer to the act of hitting the ball. Labour action: 'To be on strike' is equally common. Verb usage for impression: 'It strikes me as...' is universal.
Connotations
In both, 'strike' as a labour action carries strong socio-political connotations. 'Strike' as a military attack (e.g., 'air strike') has a formal, serious connotation.
Frequency
The labour/noun sense is very high-frequency in both. The physical 'hit' sense is slightly more common in everyday UK English (e.g., 'strike a match'). The baseball term is highly frequent in US sports contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP strike NP (transitive: hit/attack)NP strike (intransitive: stop work)NP strike NP as ADJ (link-like: impression)NP strike NP from NP (remove)Strike NP! (imperative: discover/attack)It strikes NP that... (impersonal)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Strike while the iron is hot”
- “Strike a chord”
- “Strike gold”
- “Strike it rich”
- “Strike a happy medium”
- “Strike a blow for/against”
- “Lightning never strikes twice”
- “Three strikes and you're out”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Labour relations: 'The union voted to go on strike.' Negotiation: 'We managed to strike a deal with the supplier.'
Academic
Used metaphorically: 'The author's argument strikes a new theoretical note.' Or historically: 'The strike of 1926 was a pivotal moment.'
Everyday
Physical action: 'Don't strike the dog!' Impression: 'He strikes me as honest.' Discovery: 'They struck oil.'
Technical
Meteorology: 'Lightning struck the tower.' Military: 'The drone executed a precision strike.' Geology: 'The miners struck a rich vein.' Sports: 'The pitcher threw a perfect strike.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The union will strike if pay talks fail.
- Can you strike a match for the candle?
- His comment struck a false note.
- The court struck the evidence from the record.
American English
- The workers are striking for better healthcare.
- Lightning struck the old barn.
- The deal struck us as unfair.
- The jury struck that potential juror.
adverb
British English
- Not commonly used as a standalone adverb. 'Strikingly' is the adverbial form: 'He was strikingly handsome.'
American English
- Not commonly used as a standalone adverb. 'Strikingly' is the adverbial form: 'The results were strikingly different.'
adjective
British English
- The striking miners held a rally.
- She bears a striking resemblance to her mother.
- The view from the cliff is quite striking.
American English
- The striking feature of the plan is its simplicity.
- He was arrested on a striking charge. (legal: outstanding)
- The painting's colours are striking.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The clock will strike twelve.
- Do not strike the animal.
- The workers are on strike.
- A great idea suddenly struck her.
- The teacher struck his name from the list.
- They went on strike for higher wages.
- The government's policy has struck a chord with young voters.
- We need to strike a balance between cost and quality.
- The hurricane struck the coastal town at dawn.
- The prosecutor's line of questioning struck at the heart of the defence's case.
- Critics argue the new law strikes a blow against civil liberties.
- The company struck gold with its innovative marketing campaign.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a STRIKE of lightning - sudden, powerful, and hitting a target. This captures the core idea of a forceful, impactful action, whether physical (hit), social (stop work), or metaphorical (discover/impress).
Conceptual Metaphor
IDEAS ARE PHYSICAL FORCES ('An idea struck me'); DISAGREEMENT IS WAR ('The workers struck against management'); SUCCESS IS DISCOVERING VALUABLE OBJECTS ('She struck gold with her new invention').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'strike a match' as 'бить спичку'. Use 'зажечь спичку'.
- 'It strikes me as odd' is not 'Оно ударяет меня'. Use 'Мне кажется странным' or 'У меня создается впечатление'.
- 'Strike a deal' is not 'ударить сделку'. Use 'заключить сделку'.
- The labour 'strike' is 'забастовка', but the verb 'to strike' is 'бастовать' (not 'ударять' in this context).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: 'Strike to someone' (correct: 'strike someone').
- Confusing noun/verb in continuous forms: 'The workers are striking' (correct) vs. 'A striking is happening' (awkward; better: 'A strike is happening').
- Overusing the physical sense for metaphorical meanings.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'strike' mean 'to discover'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is irregular: strike - struck - struck. The past participle is also 'struck' (e.g., He was struck by lightning). 'Stricken' is sometimes used as an adjective (e.g., poverty-stricken, grief-stricken).
'Strike' is more formal/literary than 'hit' and often implies a single, deliberate blow. 'Hit' is more general and colloquial. 'Beat' implies repeated hitting. 'Strike' also has many non-physical meanings (e.g., strike a deal) that 'hit' and 'beat' lack.
Yes. While often associated with conflict (strikes, attacks), it can be positive: 'strike gold' (find success), 'strike a chord' (resonate emotionally), 'strike a deal' (achieve agreement), 'strike a balance' (find harmony).
In US baseball, a 'strike' is a pitched ball that is swung at and missed, not swung at but within the defined 'strike zone', or hit foul (with some exceptions). Three strikes result in the batter being 'out'.