Strike is an English word with several distinct meanings across labor relations, conflict, sports, science and everyday use. At its core it denotes an act of hitting, stopping, or initiating a decisive action. Because of this core idea, the term has been adopted in varied contexts that include collective worker actions, deliberate personal protest, physical attacks, military operations, sporting events, and technical terms in fields such as geology and law. The word’s specific sense depends on context, and some meanings overlap metaphorically (for example, a worker strike aims to "hit" an employer’s position by withholding labor).

Labor and political actions

In labor relations, a strike action is when employees collectively stop working to press demands such as higher wages, better conditions, or recognition of a union. A general strike is an extended form of this where many workers across industries and often an entire region or country participate simultaneously. A related but distinct tactic is a hunger strike, in which an individual refuses food to draw attention to a cause or to apply moral pressure; hunger strikes are typically framed as a form of nonviolent protest and can carry significant political and ethical consequences. Such actions are governed by law, public opinion, and the strategies of the parties involved.

Physical attack and military use

In combat and self-defense contexts, to strike is to deliver a blow or attack intended to injure or incapacitate. The word also describes targeted uses of force at larger scales: a strike (attack) can be a precise military operation, such as an airstrike or missile strike, aimed at a specific objective. Military strikes vary by scale, legality and intent, from preemptive raids to strategic bombardments. In interpersonal contexts, striking techniques are studied in martial arts and physical training for both offense and defense.

Sports, games, and other common senses

Several popular sports use the term in specialized ways. In bowling, a strike means knocking down all pins with the first ball in a frame. In baseball, a strike is a pitched ball that passes through the strike zone without being hit, or when the batter swings and misses; accumulating strikes leads to an out. Competitive games and rule sets sometimes adopt "strike" to denote a decisive play, a forbidden move, or the removal of an option.

  • Bowling: complete pinfall on first delivery.
  • Baseball/Softball: a pitch judged a strike contributes to a batter’s count.
  • Board games and informal use: "strike" can mean to remove or cancel an element.

Outside of these areas, strike appears in everyday phrases such as "strike a match" (to ignite), and in technical vocabulary like geological strike, which denotes the orientation of rock layers. It also appears in legal and administrative contexts (for example, striking testimony or jurors) and in idioms like "strike a deal" or "strike out". Because of this range, understanding the intended meaning requires attention to the surrounding context.

Notable distinctions to keep in mind: labor strikes are collective withdrawals of labor, hunger strikes are individual refusals of food for protest, and an attack or military strike usually implies physical force directed at a target. The same word may carry neutral, positive or negative connotations depending on perspective—workers and activists may see strikes as legitimate instruments for change, while employers or opponents may view them as disruptive. For further reading on each sense, see specialized sources and legal frameworks relevant to labor law, military conduct, sports rules, and technical disciplines.