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Prepositions after verbs

Strike by, strike in or strike at

Strike at is a standard verb pattern for attacks or criticism. Strike by and strike in are usually not fixed combinations.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct after strike?

Use strike at when meaning attack, hit, or criticize. Strike by is not a standard fixed pattern, though by can introduce nearby information such as movement or time. Strike in is uncommon as a fixed combination and usually belongs to another phrase.

The snake struck at the hunter.
The article struck at government policy.
Lightning struck nearby during the storm.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
strike at + target

Attacking or attempting to hit

Strike at means direct force, criticism, or action toward a target.

The boxer struck at his opponent repeatedly.
The campaign struck at corruption in local offices.
2
strike + object

Using strike without a preposition

Strike often takes a direct object.

The worker accidentally struck the pipe.
The storm struck the coast at night.
3
struck by + noun

Describing strong impressions

In passive structures, struck by means strongly affected or impressed by something.

I was struck by her honesty.
Visitors were struck by the silence of the place.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
strike at
The rebels struck at military bases.
attack or direct action toward a target
strike by
The train struck by the platform.
not a standard fixed pattern; by would usually belong to another structure
strike in
A fire struck in the night.
in usually introduces time or place, not a fixed verb pattern
struck by
She was struck by the beauty of the city.
be strongly affected or impressed

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using strike by as a direct attack pattern

Use strike at for attacks or attempts to hit.

✕ The cat struck by the toy. ✓ The cat struck at the toy.

Confusing strike at with struck by

Strike at means attack. Struck by describes being affected or impressed.

✕ I struck at his kindness. ✓ I was struck by his kindness.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The protesters struck ___ unfair policies.
2. She was struck ___ the painting's detail.
3. The storm struck ___ the coast overnight.

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Frequently asked questions

Is strike at only physical?

No. It can also describe criticism or attacks on ideas and systems.

Is strike by standard English?

Not as a regular verb-preposition pattern. By may appear in other sentence structures.

What does struck by mean?

It means strongly affected, surprised, or impressed by something.

sack, by, sack, for, sack, from "sacrifice for" or "sacrifice to"? sail from, in, for, to or through? "salvage from" or "salvage in"? sanction by, for, in, with or according? satisfy with, by, in, about or after? "saturate with" or "saturate in"? save by, for, from, on or in? "say in", "say about" or "say to"? "scan for", "scan in" or "scan through"? "scar by" or "scar on"? scatter in, across, around, throughout or on?

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