Struck Strike Suddenly Hit Makes Straɪk Somebody/Something Striking

• the ship struck a rock.
• the child ran into the road and was struck by a car.
• the tree was struck by lightning.
• warplanes struck several targets in the city.

strike

Verb Forms

1. to hit somebody/something hard or with force
• The ship struck a rock.
• The child ran into the road and was struck by a car.
• The tree was struck by lightning.
• Warplanes struck several targets in the city.
• He fell, striking his head on the edge of the table.
• He was struck in the head by a bullet.
• The stone struck her on the forehead.
• The oar struck against something hard.
2. to hit somebody/something with your hand or a weapon
• She struck him in the face.
• He struck the table with his fist.
• Who struck the first blow (= started the fight)?
• Did she ever strike you?
• He struck her two blows on the leg.
3. to hit or kick a ball, etc.
• He walked up to the penalty spot and struck the ball firmly into the back of the net.
4. to attack somebody/something, especially suddenly
• The lion crouched ready to strike.
• Police fear that the killer may strike again.
• The guerrillas struck with deadly force.
5. to happen suddenly and have a harmful or damaging effect on somebody/something
• Two days later tragedy struck.
• Disaster struck again when their best player was injured.
• The area was struck by an outbreak of cholera.

Extra Examples

• A hurricane is about to strike Jamaica.
• Earthquakes can strike without warning.
• The disease first struck her 10 years ago.
6. to come into somebody’s mind suddenly
• An awful thought has just struck me.
• I was struck by her resemblance to my aunt.
• One thing that really struck me was how calm he appeared.
• It suddenly struck me how we could improve the situation.
7. to give somebody a particular impression
• Another part of his comment struck me.
• His reaction struck me as odd.
• She strikes me as a very efficient person.
• How does the idea strike you?
• It strikes me that nobody is really in favour of the changes.

Extra Examples

• He always struck me as being rather stupid.
• It struck me as strange that there was no one there.
8. to refuse to work because of an argument over pay or conditions
• Over 100 000 civil servants are set to strike on Tuesday.
• Drivers are threatening to strike over pay.
• The union has voted to strike for a pay increase of 6%.
• Striking workers picketed the factory.
9. to fall on a surface
• The windows sparkled as the sun struck the glass.
10. to put somebody suddenly into a particular state
• to be struck dumb/deaf/blind
11. to rub something such as a match against a surface so that it produces a flame; to produce a flame when rubbed against a rough surface
• to strike a match on a wall
• The sword struck sparks off the stone floor.
• The matches were damp and he couldn't make them strike.
12. to show the time by making a ringing noise, etc.
• SYNONYM chime
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/chime_2
• Did you hear the clock strike?
• Four o’clock had just struck.
• The clock has just struck three.
13. to produce a musical note, sound, etc. by pressing a key or hitting something
• She struck a chord on the piano and the children began to sing.
14. to discover gold, oil, etc. by digging or drilling
• They had struck oil!
15. to go somewhere with great energy or purpose
• We left the road and struck off across the fields.
• He struck out (= started swimming) towards the shore.
• The German army struck deep into northern France.
16. to be impressed or interested by somebody/something; to like somebody/something very much
• I was struck by her youth and enthusiasm.
• We're not very struck on that new restaurant.

Extra Examples

• I was particularly struck by the sound of the birds.
• Joan was struck quite forcibly by the silence.
17. to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangement
18. if a remark, etc. hits/strikes home, it has a strong effect on somebody, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are
• Her face went pale as his words hit home.
19. to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich
• The band really hit pay dirt with their last album.
20. to do, say or write something that is suitable/not suitable for a particular occasion
• It is a bizarre tale and the author hits just the right note of horror and disbelief.
• Unfortunately, the president struck the wrong note in his speech, ignoring the public mood.
21. to hit the wooden frame of the goal in the game of football (soccer), instead of scoring a goal
• She hit the woodwork twice before scoring.
22. an unusual or unpleasant event is not likely to happen in the same place or to the same people twice
23. to express feelings or opinions of a particular kind
• She sounded a note of warning in her speech.
• The touch of cynicism struck a slightly sour note.

Extra Examples

• He sounded a cautionary note.
• His opening remarks struck the right note.
24. to manage to find a way of being fair to two things that are opposed to each other; to find an acceptable position that is between two things
• We need to strike a balance between these conflicting interests.
25. to make an agreement with somebody in which both sides have an advantage
• Perhaps we could strike a bargain.
• The United States has struck a historic deal with India.
26. to do something in support of/against a belief, principle, etc.
• He felt that they had struck a blow for democracy.
27. to say or do something that makes people feel sympathy or enthusiasm
• The speaker had obviously struck a chord with his audience.
28. to make somebody be afraid, etc.
• The sound of gunfire struck fear into the hearts of the villagers.
29. to find or do something that brings you a lot of success or money
• He has struck gold with his latest novel.
30. if a remark, etc. strikes/hits home, it has a strong effect on somebody, in a way that makes them realize what the true facts of a situation are
• His face went pale as her words struck home.
31. to get a lot of money, especially suddenly or unexpectedly
32. to have good luck
• We certainly struck it lucky with the weather.
33. to have a strong effect
• His work strikes a nerve with people who are attracted to nostalgia.
• It seems I struck a nerve with my last post about cell phones.
• Nissan may well strike a popular nerve here.
34. to suddenly be in a successful situation, especially one that makes you rich
• The band really struck pay dirt with their last album.
35. to hold your body in a particular way to create a particular impression
• to strike a dramatic pose
• He strikes an attitude of bravery and lonely defiance.
36. to do, say or write something that is suitable/not suitable for a particular occasion
• It is a bizarre tale and the author strikes just the right note of horror and disbelief.
37. to make use of an opportunity immediately
38. near enough to be reached or attacked easily; near enough to reach or attack something easily
• The beach is within striking distance.
• The cat was now within striking distance of the duck.

Word Origin

• Old English strīcan ‘go, flow’ and ‘rub lightly’, of West Germanic origin; related to German streichen ‘to stroke’, also to stroke. The sense ‘deliver a blow’ dates from Middle English.