strikestrikestrikes2nouna time when people are not working because they want more money or are angry about something: There are no trains today because the drivers are on strike.strikestrikestrikesstruckstrickenstriking1verb (strikes, striking, struck/, has struck)1(formal) to hit somebody or something: A stone struck me on the back of the head.speakingHit is the more usual word, but when you talk about lightning (= the flashes of light that you see in the sky when there is a storm), you always use strike: • The tree was struck by lightning.2to stop working because you want more money or are angry about something: The nurses are striking for better pay.3to come suddenly into your mind: It suddenly struck me that she looked like my sister.4If a clock strikes, it rings a bell a certain number of times so that people know what time it is: The clock struck nine.strike a matchto make fire with a match