Word Confusion: Streak versus Strike

Plural for the noun: streaks
Gerund: streaking

Third person present verb: streaks
Past tense or past participle: streaked
Present participle: streaking

Plural for the noun: strikes
Gerund: striking

Third person present verb: strikes
Past tense or past participle: struck ², stricken ³

Present participle: striking

• [Microbiology] A narrow line of bacteria smeared on the surface of a solid culture medium

An element of a specified kind in someone’s character

• [Usually with adjective] A period of specified success or luck

[Informal] An act of running naked in a public place so as to shock or amuse others

Verb, intransitive:
[With adverbial of direction] Move very fast in a specified direction

[Informal] Run naked in a public place so as to shock or amuse others

Verb, transitive:
Cover (a surface) with streaks

• Dye (hair) with long, thin lines of a different, typically lighter color than one’s natural hair color

[Microbiology] Smear (a needle, swab, etc.) over the surface of a solid culture medium to initiate a culture

• [With modifier] A refusal to do something expected or required, typically by a body of people, with a similar aim

A sudden attack, typically a military one

• [In bowling] An act of knocking down all the pins with one’s first ball
• [Fishing] An act or instance of jerking or tightening the line to secure a fish that has already taken the bait or fly

A discovery of gold, minerals, or oil by drilling or mining

[Baseball] A pitch that is counted against the batter, in particular one that the batter swings at and misses, or that passes through the strike zone without the batter swinging, or that the batter hits foul (unless two strikes have already been called)

• [Baseball] A pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not hit
• [North American English] Something to one’s discredit

The horizontal or compass direction of a stratum, fault, or other geological feature

Short for fly strike

Verb, intransitive:
Hit forcibly and deliberately with one’s hand or a weapon or other implement ²

[Of a disaster, disease, or other unwelcome phenomenon] Occur suddenly and have harmful or damaging effects on ³

Carry out an aggressive or violent action, typically without warning ²

[Of a clock] Indicate the time by sounding a chime or stroke

[Of employees] Refuse to work as a form of organized protest, typically in an attempt to obtain a particular concession or concessions from their employer

[With adverbial of direction] Move or proceed vigorously or purposefully

[Of a plant or cutting] Develop roots

• [Of a young oyster] Attach itself to a bed

[Fishing] Secure a hook in the mouth of a fish by jerking or tightening the line after it has taken the bait or fly

Verb, transitive:
Hit forcibly and deliberately with one’s hand or a weapon or other implement ²

• Inflict (a blow)
• Accidentally hit (a part of one’s body) against something
• Come into forcible contact or collision with
• Of a beam or ray of light or heat) fall on (an object or surface)
• [In sporting contexts] Hit or kick (a ball) so as to score a run, point, or goal
• Produce (a musical note) by pressing or hitting a key

[Of a disaster, disease, or other unwelcome phenomenon] Occur suddenly and have harmful or damaging effects on ³

• [With complement] Cause (someone) to be in a specified state

[Of a thought or idea] Come into the mind of (someone) suddenly or unexpectedly

• Cause (someone) to have a particular impression
• [be struck by, be struck with] Find particularly interesting, noticeable, or impressive

[Of a clock] Indicate the time by sounding a chime or stroke ²

[Of employees] Refuse to work as a form of organized protest, typically in an attempt to obtain a particular concession or concessions from their employer

Cancel, remove, or cross out with or as if with a pen ³

[With adverbial of direction] Move or proceed vigorously or purposefully ²

She could see white streaks in his beard.

“You can make streak plates of bacteria or yeasts” (Making).

There’s got to be a streak of insanity in the family.

Lucy had a ruthless streak.

The theater is on a winning streak.

The team closed the season with an 11-game losing streak.

It was a streak for charity.

Verb, intransitive:
The cat leaped free and streaked across the street.

The singer admitted to streaking in his home town in the seventies.

The car streaked along.

Verb, transitive:
Tears streaking her face, Cynthia looked up.

His beard was streaked with gray.

Grandma had streaked her hair with pinks and purples!

Swabs were streaked directly on blood agar plates.

Local government workers went on strike.

They voted for a strike action.

The tenants voted for a rent strike.

The threat of nuclear strikes is hanging over us.

Did you see Pete’s strike!

“There are a variety of techniques used to break up the predictable swimming action of your lure, these are used to ‘trigger’ a strike from predators” (Lush).

The Lena goldfields strike of 1912 created havoc in the town.

A batter accumulating three strikes is out.

The umpire calling a strike roused the crowd to protest.

When soldiers returned from Vietnam they had two strikes against them.

Strike and dip “are used together to measure and document a structure’s characteristics for study or for use on a geologic map” (Strike).

The vet told us that Rover had fly strike!

Verb, intransitive:
Edgar struck out at her.

Tragedy struck when he was killed in a car crash.

It was eight months before the murderer struck again.

The church clock struck twelve.

Workers may strike over threatened job losses.

She struck out into the lake with a practiced crawl.

He struck off down the track.

Small conifers will strike from cuttings.

There is no better surface for the spat to strike on than another oyster.

“Remember, when the big hit comes, resist striking, wait until you feel the fish’s weight before setting the hook, otherwise duck because there’s a lure heading straight towards your head!” (Lush).

Verb, transitive:
He raised his hand, as if to strike me.

One man was struck on the head with a stick.

The armies assembled but never struck a blow.

He struck her two blows on the leg.

She fell, striking her head against the side of the boat.

He was struck by a car on Whitepark Road.

He struck the ball into the back of the net.

“You can strike the keys in a natural position without actually hitting the keys with your fingertips” (Key).

An earthquake struck the island

The governor toured the storm-struck areas.

He was struck dumb.

A disturbing thought struck Melissa.

It struck him that Marjorie was unusually silent.

The idea struck her as odd.

Lucy was struck by the ethereal beauty of the scene.

The match went out and he struck another.

His iron stick struck sparks from the pavement.

Heat is generated by an electric arc struck between two graphitic electrodes.

The photoengravers voted to strike the New York Times.

His name was stricken from the list.

The editor was striking words through with a pen.

They struck similar medals on behalf of the Normandy veterans.

The film was reissued on a new print struck from the old negative.

The team has struck a deal with a sports marketing agency.

You have to strike a happy medium.

Last year’s loss was struck after allowing for depreciation of 67 million dollars.

The government struck a committee to settle the issue.

If they do strike oil, there will be another test well in a year’s time.

Several days out of the village, we struck the Gilgit Road.

It took ages to strike camp.

The minute we finish this evening, they’ll start striking the set.

The ship struck her German colors.

The best results are obtained from striking them in a propagator.

We struck gold!

The sense run naked was originally US slang.

1. Old English strīcan meaning go, flow, and rub lightly is of West Germanic origin and related to the German streichen meaning to stroke.

   The sense deliver a blow dates from Middle English.

2. Use struck for the past tense and past participle.
3. Use stricken for the past tense and past participle.