Strike off means to remove a name from a list or register, and it is a separable phrasal verb used in law, medicine and administration. To use strike off in a sentence, name the list and the person: “The tribunal struck the doctor off the medical register.” The object can sit between the verb and the particle.
Strike off at a glance
- Strike off is a separable phrasal verb; the past tense is struck off.
- It means to remove a name from a list, register or roll.
- The object can sit between the verb and the particle, or after it.
- It belongs to formal, legal and administrative writing, especially in British English.
- The commonest error is confusing strike off with strike out, which means to erase or to fail.
What does strike off mean?
Strike off is a separable phrasal verb meaning to remove a name from a list, register or roll. The Cambridge entry for strike off gives this official sense, and the word nearly always implies a decision made by a body. The plainest paraphrase is remove a name, though remove is quieter and lacks the official weight.
| Sense | Plain meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Remove from a register | Delete a name from an official list | The committee struck him off the roll. |
| Disqualify a professional | Ban a practitioner from working | She was struck off for serious misconduct. |
| Cancel a name | Cross a member off a list | Strike my name off the waiting list. |
One limitation is worth stating plainly. Strike off is narrower than remove, because it means taking a name off a list or register and usually follows an official decision. You would not strike off a stain or a mark; you cross those out. The verb is also more common in British and Commonwealth writing, where a professional can be struck off a register, than in American English, which prefers remove a name or take a name off.
How do you use strike off in a sentence?
Five patterns cover almost every real sentence, and the separable order, with the object between the verb and the particle, is the one formal writing uses most. A pronoun object must always take that middle position.
| Pattern | Example | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| strike + person + off + list | The panel struck her off the register. | The object sits between verb and particle, the usual legal form. |
| strike off + person | The panel struck off the nurse. | The object follows the particle; also correct. |
| be struck off | He was struck off in 2019. | Passive voice, with the list understood. |
| strike + name + off + list | Strike his name off the team sheet. | The object is a name rather than a person. |
| strike + person + off + list (pronoun) | They struck him off without a hearing. | A pronoun must sit between verb and particle. |
Strike off in a sentence: examples across contexts
The verb keeps its meaning but shifts its company. A tribunal treats struck off as a fixed professional penalty, an office uses the older school-roll sense, and a membership letter makes it a polite request. The nine sentences below show those shifts.
| Context | Example sentence | Why this works |
|---|---|---|
| Medical tribunal | The doctor was struck off for falsifying records. | The fixed professional phrase means banned from practice. |
| Legal writing | The court struck the company off the register of businesses. | Names the register, which the formal sense requires. |
| School office | The clerk struck the pupil off the roll after the move. | Uses the older education sense of a school roll. |
| Sports report | The referee struck the player off the team list. | Shows the separable pattern with a person as object. |
| Membership letter | Please strike my name off your mailing list. | The polite request form, with a name as the object. |
| News report | Two nurses were struck off over the weekend. | The passive keeps the focus on the professionals. |
| Business email | We struck the supplier off the approved list. | Extends the register idea to a company list. |
| Conversation | The captain struck him off for missing training. | Uses the separable form in speech. |
| History essay | Members who failed to pay were struck off the roll. | Describes a past administrative practice. |
Every example keeps strike off tied to a list or register. That is the feature that separates it from the plainer phrase take a name off and from the unrelated strike out.
Strike off vs strike out
Strike off and strike out share a verb but not a meaning. One removes a name from a register; the other erases a mark or marks a failure. The table sets out the contrast.
| Attribute | strike off | strike out |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | Remove a name from a list or register | Erase a word, or fail at something |
| Typical object | A person, a name or a member | A word, a sentence or a batter |
| Separability | Separable: strike someone off | Separable: strike something out |
| Register | Formal and administrative | Neutral to sporting |
| Result | The name is no longer on the list | The item is erased or the attempt fails |
| Common phrase | struck off the register | struck out on appeal |
An everyday version of the same action is to cross a name off a list, and a sports panel may disqualify a player, which is the sporting cousin of striking someone off. To omit a name is simply to leave it out. The same verb appears in strike up a conversation, where the particle changes the meaning entirely, and the whole action depends on the register from which a name is removed.
Verdict: choose strike off when an official body removes a name from a list or register, and strike out when something is erased or an attempt fails.
Word forms and grammar of strike off
Strike off keeps the irregular past tense of strike, so the past is struck off and never striked off. The table lists the forms and marks the same-root words that belong to other meanings.
| Form | Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|---|
| strike off | phrasal verb, base form | They may strike him off the list. |
| struck off | phrasal verb, past tense | The tribunal struck her off last year. |
| struck off | phrasal verb, past participle | He has been struck off the roll. |
| striking off | gerund | Striking off a name is a serious step. |
| strike up | different phrasal verb | They struck up a conversation in the queue. |
| striker | noun, same root | The striker missed the final match. |
Because the verb is separable, word order carries meaning. With a noun object both orders are correct, but with a pronoun only the middle position works, giving struck him off rather than struck off him.
Common mistakes with strike off
- Incorrect:
The judge struck off the doctor the register.Correct: The judge struck the doctor off the register. Rule: With a noun object, the usual order is strike + object + off + list. - Incorrect:
They struck off him without warning.Correct: They struck him off without warning. Rule: A pronoun object must sit between the verb and the particle, never after it. - Incorrect:
The teacher struck off the wrong answer.Correct: The teacher struck out the wrong answer. Rule: Strike off removes a name from a list; strike out erases a mark. - Incorrect:
He was struck off from the register.Correct: He was struck off the register. Rule: Strike off takes a direct object without from. - Incorrect:
She strike off the list last week.Correct: She struck off the list last week. Rule: The past tense of strike is struck, not strike.
Practice using strike off
Work through the six items, then check the reasoning rather than only the answer.
- Fill the gap: The tribunal decided to ______ the nurse off the register.
- Choose the better word: The editor (struck off / struck out) the repeated sentence.
- Correct the error: The committee struck off the member from the roll.
- Build a sentence: use be struck off about a dentist banned from practice.
- Spot the register: which belongs in a formal tribunal report — the doctor was struck off the register, or the doctor got kicked off the list?
- Rewrite with the pronoun: They struck off the player. Replace the player with him.
Answers
- strike — the base form follows to, and the object is the nurse.
- struck out — erasing a sentence is strike out, not strike off.
- The committee struck the member off the roll — the object goes between strike and off.
- Model answer: The dentist was struck off for repeatedly ignoring safety rules.
- The doctor was struck off the register — a tribunal report keeps the formal passive and the register phrase.
- They struck him off — a pronoun object must sit between the verb and the particle.
The bottom line
Use strike off in a sentence when a name is removed from a list or register, and keep the object between the verb and the particle when it is a pronoun. The two nuances that decide most sentences are these: the verb is separable, so struck the doctor off is the usual order, and strike off is far more formal than strike out, which means to erase a mark or to fail.
Frequently asked questions about strike off
What is the difference between strike off and strike out?
Strike off removes a name from a list or register, usually by official decision, as when a doctor is struck off. Strike out means to erase a word or sentence, or to fail at something, as when a team strikes out. The two phrasal verbs share a verb but not a meaning, so the particle decides which one you need.
Is strike off separable?
Yes. Strike off is a separable phrasal verb, so the object can sit between the verb and the particle or after it: the panel struck her off, or the panel struck off the nurse. When the object is a pronoun, it must sit in the middle, giving struck him off rather than struck off him.
Is strike off used in American English?
Strike off is more common in British and Commonwealth writing, especially in medicine, law and administration. American English usually prefers remove from the register or take off the list. The British medical register is the setting where struck off is most often heard, meaning banned from practice.
What does it mean to be struck off?
To be struck off means to have your name removed from an official register, usually because of serious misconduct. For a doctor, nurse or lawyer, it means being banned from working in that profession. The passive form is fixed with the register or the roll understood, so the sentence can simply say she was struck off.
Have you ever come across the term “strike off” and wondered what it means? In simple terms, to “strike off” refers to the act of removing something from a list or record.
Often used in official or legal contexts, “strike off” can apply to diverse situations such as canceling a registration, deleting a name from a roster, or eliminating an entry from documentation.
7 Examples Of Strike Off Used In a Sentence For Kids
- Strike off the numbers that come after ten.
- Let’s strike off the incorrect answers on the paper.
- Can you help me strike off the extra decorations?
- It’s time to strike off the days on our calendar.
- Strike off the wrong colors and choose the right ones.
- Let’s practice how to strike off the words that don’t belong.
- We can strike off the leaves from the tree to make it neat.
14 Sentences with Strike Off Examples
- Strike off any incorrect answers in your assignment before submitting it.
- Make sure to strike off any irrelevant points in your essay to stay focused on the topic.
- It’s important to carefully read the syllabus and strike off the topics you have already covered.
- Before finalizing your timetable, be sure to strike off any overlapping study sessions.
- If you have already prepared notes for a certain topic, you can strike off it from your to-do list.
- Revising regularly will help you strike off difficult topics from your study schedule.
- Don’t forget to strike off completed tasks from your daily to-do list to track your progress better.
- As you complete each chapter, make sure to strike off its summary from your revision list.
- Double-check your assignments to strike off any plagiarism before submission.
- Create a study group to strike off challenging questions and concepts together.
- Strike off any duplicate information in your research paper to make it more concise.
- Use different colored markers to easily strike off completed tasks in your planner.
- Take breaks between study sessions to strike off some relaxation time on your timetable.
- Ask your professor to strike off any obsolete or irrelevant topics from the course outline.
How To Use Strike Off in Sentences?
To use Strike Off in a sentence, first identify the main word that you want to emphasize or bring attention to in your sentence.
Next, construct a sentence where the main word is the focal point or key element. For example, if you want to emphasize the word “carefully” in your sentence, you could say, “She carefully planned out her route before starting her journey.”
When using Strike Off in a sentence, remember to surround the main word with double asterisks (main word) to highlight it and draw attention to it. This will help make your point clear and effective in your sentence.
Additionally, consider the context of your sentence and how emphasizing the main word can impact the overall message you are trying to convey. Choose a word that is important or significant to the meaning of your sentence to ensure that Strike Off effectively enhances your message.
Practice using Strike Off in different sentences to become more comfortable with emphasizing key words and phrases. Experiment with different words and sentence structures to see how Strike Off can be used to make your writing more engaging and impactful.
Conclusion
In summary, the concept of “strike off” involves removing something from a list or record, typically due to it being no longer valid or relevant. This term is commonly used in legal documents, business registries, and other formal contexts to indicate the removal of a specific item. For example, when a company is dissolved, it may be “struck off” the official registry of businesses.
Overall, the phrase “strike off” simplifies the process of deleting or eliminating information, providing a clear and concise way to indicate that something has been officially removed from a record or list. Understanding this term can help in ensuring accurate and up-to-date documentation across various fields and industries.
