strike someone when they are down en · VERB
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Synonym of kick someone when they are down (“make things worse for someone in a difficult position”).
but he was already so doubly overthrown by two Learned Opposers, that it seem'd unhandsome and ignoble to strike a man when he was down; his Circumstances making him rather an Object of Pity than Victory.
1665, John Sergeant, Sure Footing in Christianity, or rational discourses on the rule of faith:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| striking someone when they are down | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| strikes someone when they are down | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| struck someone when they were down | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| struck someone when they were down | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
kick someone when they are down · hit someone when they are down · kick someone when they are down