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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Strike Verb: Meanings, Usage & Examples (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：hit forcefully (strike)

strike 🔊

/straɪk/

To hit someone or something hard and quickly, usually with your hand, a tool, or an object.

Strike meaning illustrated by a baseball bat forcefully hitting a ball in action.

hit forcefully 🔊

➕

/hɪt ˈfɔːrsfəli/

To deliver a quick, strong blow to something or someone, typically with the hand, an object, or a part of the body.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'strīcan' (to stroke, rub), via Middle English 'striken' (to go, move, strike).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'STRIKE' like the sharp, loud sound of a clock striking the hour—a sudden, impactful action.

📖 Example

The clock strikes twelve, announcing the arrival of New Year with a loud chime. 🔊 The clock hits twelve, announcing the arrival of New Year with a loud chime.

🔗 Collocations

strike a match – to light a match by rubbing it against a surface

strike a pose – to position one's body in a particular, often dramatic, way

strike a deal – to reach an agreement or make a bargain

🔄 Synonyms

hit (v.) – to bring one's hand or an object into contact with someone or something quickly and forcefully

punch (v.) – to strike with a closed fist

slap (v.) – to hit with the flat part of the hand, making a sharp sound

🚫 Antonyms

caress (v.) – to touch or stroke gently and lovingly

pet (v.) – to stroke or pat an animal affectionately

🌱 Derivatives

striking (adj.) – very noticeable or attractive

stricken (adj.) – deeply affected by something such as trouble, illness, or grief

📖 Cultural Story

The word evolved from a meaning of 'to stroke or rub' to 'to hit'—a common semantic shift from gentle to forceful contact, highlighting a key pattern in language evolution.

Meaning 2：go on strike (strike)

strike 🔊

/straɪk/

When a group of workers stop working for a period of time as a protest to ask for better pay or conditions.

Strike definition showing workers on strike holding signs for fair pay.

go on strike 🔊

➕

/ɡoʊ ɒn straɪk/

To stop work as a form of organized protest by employees, typically to demand better pay, conditions, or rights from their employer.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The delivery drivers decided to strike for three days to demand higher wages and safer working conditions. 🔊 The delivery drivers decided to go on strike for three days to demand higher wages and safer working conditions.

🔗 Collocations

call a strike – to officially announce and organize a work stoppage

wildcat strike – a strike that happens suddenly and is not officially authorized by the union

strike action – the organized refusal to work as a form of protest

🔄 Synonyms

walkout (n.) – a sudden strike by workers

stoppage (n.) – a situation in which work is stopped, especially because of a strike

🚫 Antonyms

work (v.) – to engage in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose

labor (v.) – to work hard, especially physically

🌱 Derivatives

striker (n.) – a worker who is on strike

Meaning 3：suddenly occur (strike)

strike 🔊

/straɪk/

If an idea or thought strikes you, it suddenly comes into your mind very clearly.

Strike as a sudden idea shown by a light bulb moment above a person's head.

suddenly occur 🔊

➕

/ˈsʌdənli əˈkɜːr/

If an idea, thought, or feeling strikes you, it comes into your mind or affects you suddenly and often with great force.

📁 Category：Mental Health 🔖 Level：高级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

A brilliant idea suddenly struck her while she was taking a shower. 🔊 A brilliant idea suddenly occurred to her while she was taking a shower.

🔗 Collocations

strike as odd – to seem strange or peculiar to someone

strike a chord – to cause an emotional response or feeling of recognition

strike fear into – to cause someone to feel afraid

🔄 Synonyms

dawn on (v.) – to become obvious or clear to someone, often suddenly

hit (v.) – to come to someone's mind suddenly

🚫 Antonyms

fade (v.) – to gradually become less clear, strong, or noticeable

recede (v.) – to move back or away, or become weaker

🌱 Derivatives

striking (adj.) – very noticeable or attractive