Meaning & use
striking off
Last updated
“striking off” is a form of “strike off”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountablelegalbusinessformal
The act of officially removing someone from a professional register or a company from a business register.
Grammar: Uncountable; often followed by 'of': the striking off of the company.
Patterns
- the striking off of someone/something
- striking off from the register
The striking off of the solicitor followed a long investigation into missing client money.
After the striking off, the company could no longer legally trade.
She appealed against her striking off from the professional register.
phraseuncountableinformal
The act of deleting or crossing out an item from a list or piece of writing.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; the verb form is 'strike off'.
Patterns
- the striking off of items
- striking names off a list
The striking off of names from the guest list caused some awkward moments.
Striking off the wrong entry made the whole record invalid.
Common combinations
- striking off the register
- The court ordered the striking off of the company from the register.
- striking off a lawyer
- Striking off a lawyer is a serious step taken only for misconduct.
- face striking off
- The doctor may face striking off if the allegations are proved.
- striking off a name
- Striking off a name from the list took only a moment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- removal
- A general word for taking something away; 'striking off' is the specific official or list-related act.
- deletion
- Used mainly for text or data; 'striking off' is more common for people or companies on registers.
- deregistration
- A formal business term for removing a company from the register; narrower than 'striking off'.
Opposites
Word family
- strike off phrasal verb
- To remove officially or cross out: the committee struck him off.
- strike verb
- To hit or to remove with a stroke: strike a name from the list.
Commonly confused: striking off or striking?
striking off vs striking
As an adjective, 'striking' means very noticeable; as a noun form here it belongs to the phrasal verb 'strike off'.
Practice
The medical council is considering ___ him off for serious professional misconduct.
Choose one answer.
After 'considering' we need the -ing form, so 'striking' is correct. 'Strike' is the base form, 'struck' is past tense, and 'strikes' is third-person singular; none fits after 'considering'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “striking off”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.