Skip to main content
to strike

to strike

14 5.9
To hold a deliberate position or pose for effect
  • verb
  • /straɪk/
  • Informal
: posar
  • Can you strike a dramatic pose for the photoshoot?
  • strike a pose
  • strike an attitude

And, you know, it's you strike a very unique pose and it allows people to project a whole sensibility.

Examples

  • Maybe if I strike a pose.

  • Strike a pose.

  • So can you please just strike that pose, yeah?

  • And these poses, you would strike this pose and hold it for a very long amount of time and focus on your breathing.

  • Husni ran his hand through his hair and struck the pose of a romantic tenor for his audience.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "Guess who I am?" she asked, striking a pose in her leather bomber jacket and aviator goggles.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • During the performance, the dancer struck various poses that captivated the audience.

  • To impress her friends, she decided to strike an elegant pose while taking selfies.

Synonyms

to take
vsto strike
∞ 1.0

Move into a position or seat

is adopted deliberately to create an intentional show or impression
to assume
vsto strike
60 4.1

Put on a particular appearance or form

is chosen deliberately to convey a particular attitude or effect
to take up
vsto strike
54 3.2

To move into a position or place for duty

is chosen deliberately to attract attention rather than happen naturally
to posture
vsto strike
13 7.7

To pretend to be more important or clever than you are

is chosen deliberately for effect rather than being a natural stance

Idioms

66 3.3

Refusing to work to protest, usually by a group of workers

Make people feel a strong connection when it seems familiar

To seriously damage an idea or reputation

Do something quickly to use a good chance before it ends

To make a flame with a match or lighter

To take action that supports justice

To criticize or take advantage of someone when they are weak

Phrasal Verbs

to strike out
  • Jargon
60 4.1

In baseball, cause a batter to be out after they miss three pitches

49 7.4

Declare a law or rule no longer valid

To fight back after someone attacks or hurts you

Stop working as a group to protest for better pay or conditions

33 6.8

Cause someone to fall, become sick, or die suddenly

To agree with someone after talking about the details

23 3.8

To start a conversation, friendship, or activity with someone in a quick informal way

20 4.1

Begin to do something new on your own

19 4.1

Move suddenly toward someone to try to hit or kick them

to strike out
  • Informal
18 3.9

Fail to succeed in an attempt to do something

Start talking to someone you do not know well

Hit someone or something very hard

Remove a name or item from a list by drawing a line through it

5 4.4

To start playing a song, usually by a band or group

Have a strong effect that makes someone suddenly understand

3 6.7

To remove a person or thing from an official list

To make someone unable to speak because they are very surprised or shocked

To stop doing a job to protest for better pay or conditions

1 8.1

Take down a tent when leaving or ending an event

To stop work together to ask the employer for higher pay

To get unexpected good luck

To make a small spark by hitting a piece of flint to start a fire

To find a useful clue that helps an investigation

Compounds

A sudden flash of electricity from the sky that hits something or a sudden strong idea

28 3.2

To refuse to eat as a way to protest or demand change

A surprise attack carried out to stop an enemy from attacking first

strike zone
  • Specialized
12 4.4

Area over home plate between a batter's knees and shoulders where a pitch must pass to be called a strike

12 8.6

A surprise attack with nuclear weapons to destroy an enemy's ability to fight back

A military attack aimed at one target to avoid damage nearby

first strike
  • Specialized
4 5.0

An attack launched early to stop a threat that is about to happen, for example in war or computer attacks

A person who plans and speaks for workers who stop work for better pay or conditions

Workers stay at their workplace and refuse to work until demands are met

A strike by workers not approved by their union

1 7.0

Workers stop work to support other workers on strike

strike pay
  • Jargon
1 6.7

Money a union gives members during a strike to help with living costs

strike-slip fault
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A break in the ground where two rock blocks move past each other horizontally

1 7.2

A military action to stop an expected attack by an enemy before it happens

ten-strike
  • Jargon
1 7.9

A bowler knocks down all ten pins with the first ball in a frame

Workers stop work to support other workers who are not working

8.0

A stoppage of work by workers to make managers follow safety and other workplace rules

How Dramatic

to strut
61 5.5
to strike
  • Informal
14 5.9
pose
95 4.1
to stand
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

strike infinitive
striking present participle
strikes third person singular
struck past
struck past participle

Etymology

Strike in 'strike a pose' comes from the idea of taking up a position or posture, like 'setting' yourself in place from the older sense of moving into position. So to strike a pose is to adopt a deliberate stance.