Word.ws English Dictionary

striking while the iron is hot

striking while the iron is hot is the present participle and gerund of strike while the iron is hot.

Meaning of strike while the iron is hot

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)

  1. (literally, blacksmithing) 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.
  2. (idiomatic) 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.

Questions about striking while the iron is hot

What is striking while the iron is hot the present participle and gerund of?
Striking while the iron is hot is the present participle and gerund of strike while the iron is hot.

Words near striking while the iron is hot in the dictionary

  1. striking the tent
  2. striking through
  3. striking twice
  4. striking up
  5. Striking Viking
  6. striking while the iron is hot
  7. strikingest
  8. strikingly
  9. strikingness
  10. strikings
  11. strikt

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: striking while the iron is hot (page history and authors); 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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