strike

when a disaster, illness, or other very bad event reaches someone or somewhere without warning and causes serious harm.

• hit

  more neutral and flexible; 'strike' sounds more dramatic and news-like

• afflict

  formal; usually about long illness rather than a single sudden event

• befall

  literary; the bad event 'happens to' a person

• spare

  the disaster leaves the place or person untouched

to deliver a hard, sudden blow to a person, animal, or surface — by hand, with a tool, or by crashing into it.

• hit

  everyday equivalent; less dramatic and far more frequent in speech

• punch

  specifically with a closed fist

• smash

  implies the object breaks on impact

• miss

  fail to make contact

to kick a ball — usually a football — cleanly and with strength, sending it travelling far or fast across the pitch.

• kick

  everyday word; 'strike' adds the sense of force and clean contact

• boot

  informal British; suggests a heavy, less precise kick

of a clock or bell tower: to ring out a series of chimes that announce the hour to anyone within earshot.

• chime

  softer, more musical sound; often used for doorbells too

• ring

  general; less specifically about marking the hour

• toll

  slow, solemn ringing, often for funerals

of a particular hour: to arrive and be marked by the chiming of a clock, so that everyone hearing it knows the time.

• arrive

  neutral; loses the bell-chime image

• come

  as in 'when six o'clock came'; very plain alternative

to make a small fire on the head of a match by quickly dragging it across a rough surface such as the side of a matchbox.

• light

  more general; can apply to lighters or stoves, not just matches

in football, cricket, and similar sports, to suddenly score a goal, take a wicket, or win a point at a key moment in the match.

• score

  more general; covers any point, while 'strike' suggests a sudden, dramatic moment

to take a word, name, or statement out of a written record so that it no longer counts as part of it, often by official order.

• delete

  neutral, common in everyday and digital writing

• expunge

  very formal; usually used for criminal records

• remove

  general; less specific than 'strike' which implies an official act

• add

  putting something into the record instead of taking it out

to find oil, gas, gold, or another valuable material below the ground, usually after digging or drilling for it.

• discover

  general; 'strike' suggests sudden, lucky discovery after effort

• hit

  informal alternative, as in 'hit oil'

to settle on the terms of an agreement with another person or group, especially after talking or arguing about what each side will give and receive.

• negotiate

  focus on the talking process; 'strike' focuses on reaching the result

• reach

  as in 'reach an agreement'; neutral and slightly more formal

if a person or thing strikes you in a certain way, they give you that feeling or impression when you first meet them or first notice them.

• seem

  more neutral; 'strike' suggests a strong or immediate impression

• appear

  slightly formal; describes outward impression

• impress

  stronger and usually positive; 'strike' can be positive or negative

If a thought, idea, or feeling strikes someone, it suddenly enters their mind without warning, often when they were thinking about something else.

• occur to

  neutral and the most common substitute; 'it occurred to me that...'

• dawn on

  suggests a slower realization than 'strike'

• hit

  informal; stronger sense of sudden impact

to deliberately place yourself in a chosen physical position and stay still in it, usually so that someone can photograph or paint you, or so that the position itself sends a message to people watching.

• assume

  more formal; 'assume a pose' is common in art writing

• adopt

  neutral; works with stance and attitude as well

to manufacture a coin, medal, or other small flat metal object by pressing a design hard onto a metal blank with a heavy machine.

• mint

  specifically for coins; 'newly minted' is a fixed phrase

• stamp

  broader; covers any pressing of a design onto material

to take a tent or whole camp apart so that it can be packed up and carried away to another place.

• take down

  everyday paraphrase; less idiomatic

• dismantle

  more formal; works for any structure, not just tents

• pitch

  to put up a tent; the natural opposite

• set up

  general opposite for camp

currently refusing to do your job as part of an organised protest by your group of workers.

• out

  informal British shorthand: 'the miners are out'

• walking out

  emphasises the act of leaving work

• back at work

  describes the state after a strike ends

to begin refusing to work as part of an organised protest by your group of workers.

• walk out

  phrasal verb; same meaning, slightly more informal

• down tools

  British informal; emphasises stopping work suddenly

• return to work

  the opposite action when a strike ends

a single, hard hit delivered to a person or thing, often with a fist, weapon, or tool.

• blow

  more general; can be a hit or a metaphorical setback

• hit

  everyday and broader; less specific than 'strike'

• punch

  only with a closed fist

in football, a forceful kick of the ball, especially one that sends it flying far across the pitch or into the goal.

• shot

  broader; covers any attempt at goal, including weak ones

• kick

  general action; 'strike' implies more force and intent

a fast, focused military attack on a target, usually carried out by warplanes, drones, or guided missiles.

• attack

  broader; covers ground assaults, raids, and longer operations

• raid

  often a quick incursion by aircraft or troops

• bombing

  specifically uses bombs; 'strike' may use missiles or drones

in cricket, the playing position held by whichever batter currently faces the bowler and waits to receive the next delivery.

a moment when miners or drillers find oil, gold, or another valuable material below the ground.

• find

  more general; any valuable discovery

• discovery

  neutral; not limited to underground resources

a sudden moment of scoring or breakthrough in a sport — for example, putting the ball into the net during a football match, or dismissing a batter while bowling.

• goal

  football-only; 'strike' often implies a powerful or memorable goal

• score

  more general

in tenpin bowling, a turn in which the player knocks down every pin with the very first roll.

• spare

  knocking pins down across two rolls instead of one

in baseball, a throw counted against the hitter — either because it crosses the legal area above home plate, or because the hitter swings and misses, or hits the ball foul; three of these end the hitter's turn at bat.

• ball

  a pitch outside the strike zone that the batter does not swing at

a problem, weak point, or unfair disadvantage that makes success harder — often counted, as in 'two strikes against you'.

• drawback

  neutral; any negative feature

• disadvantage

  more formal and general

• mark against

  British equivalent of 'strike against'