- OE. striken to strike, proceed, flow, AS. strīcan to go, proceed, akin to D. strijken to rub, stroke, strike, to move, go, G. streichen, OHG. strīhhan, L. stringere to touch lightly, to graze, to strip off (but perhaps not to L. stringere in sense to draw tight), striga a row, a furrow. Cf. StreakStroke
- To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either with the hand or with any instrument or missile.He at Philippi kept His sword e'en like a dancer; while I struck The lean and wrinkled Cassius.
- To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship struck a reef.
- To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two sideposts.Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.
- To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.
- To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.
- To punish; to afflict; to smite.To punish the just is not good, nor strike princes for equity.
- To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve; the drums strike up a march.
- To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.
- To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind, with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror.Nice works of art strike and surprise us most on the first view.They please as beauties, here as wonders strike.
- To affect in some particular manner by a sudden impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me favorably; to strike one dead or blind.How often has stricken you dumb with his irony!
- To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke; as, to strike a light.Waving wide her myrtle wand, She strikes a universal peace through sea and land.
- To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.
- To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.
- To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money.Old Slang
- To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the level of the top.
- MasonryTo cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.
- To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a strange word; they soon struck the trail.
- To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck a friend for five dollars.Slang
- To lade into a cooler, as a liquor.
- To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.Behold, I thought, He will . . . strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
- To advance; to cause to go forward; -- used only in past participle.Wellstruckin years.
