strike while the iron is hot
strike while the iron is hot verb: to strike a hot piece of metal, especially iron, with a mallet or other tool before it cools, while it is still hot enough to be shaped.
Verb
strike while the iron is hot (third-person singular simple present strikes while the iron is hot, present participle striking while the iron is hot, simple past and past participle struck while the iron is hot)
- To strike a hot piece of metal, especially iron, with a mallet or other tool before it cools, while it is still hot enough to be shaped.
- To act on an opportunity promptly while favorable conditions exist; to avoid waiting.
- We should strike while the iron is hot and order some immediately, before they change the offer.
- The Gap thus stopp'd, with her Army she marcheth to the Cage that kept those Birds, whose Wings she would be clipping. She knew if she struck not while the Iron was hot, the heat of a popular Faction would quickly sink and lessen.c. 1620s, Elizabeth Cary [misattributed to Henry Cary], The History Of the most unfortunate Prince King Edward II. […] , London: A.G. and F. P., published 1680, page 41
strike while the iron is hot meaning in Hindi and Thai
strike while the iron is hot in Hindi
- act on an opportunity promptly
- लोहा गरम हैं. मार दो हथौड़ा. lohā garam ha͠i. mār do hathauṛā.
strike while the iron is hot in Thai
- act on an opportunity promptly
- ตีเหล็กเมื่อแดง กินแกงเมื่อร้อน dtii-lèk-mʉ̂ʉa-dɛɛng-gin-gɛɛng-mʉ̂ʉa-rɔ́ɔn
Synonyms of strike while the iron is hot
Forms of strike while the iron is hot
| third-person singular present | strikes while the iron is hot |
|---|---|
| present participle | striking while the iron is hot |
| past participle | struck while the iron is hot |
| past | struck while the iron is hot |
Origin of strike while the iron is hot
The adage originates from the common craft of blacksmithing. It appears in Chaucer's The Tale of Melibee, "right so as whil that iren is hoot men sholden smyte". (Harvard) It gained additional meaning when used as a motto by Joseph Paisley - a blacksmith at Gretna Green who married eloping couples at his anvil. (History in the Margins)
Questions about strike while the iron is hot
- What does strike while the iron is hot mean?
- Strike while the iron is hot means to strike a hot piece of metal, especially iron, with a mallet or other tool before it cools, while it is still hot enough to be shaped.
- What is strike while the iron is hot in Hindi?
- Strike while the iron is hot in Hindi is लोहा गरम हैं. मार दो हथौड़ा. (lohā garam ha͠i. mār do hathauṛā.). See Strike while the iron is hot meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is strike while the iron is hot?
- Strike while the iron is hot is a verb.
- What is the past tense of strike while the iron is hot?
- The past tense of strike while the iron is hot is struck while the iron is hot.
Words near strike while the iron is hot in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: strike while the iron is hot (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-strike while the iron is hot.ogg.
Cite this entry: “strike while the iron is hot.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/strike_while_the_iron_is_hot. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.