general strike

American  

noun

1. a mass strike in all or many trades and industries in a section or in all parts of a country.

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general strike British  

noun

1. a strike by all or most of the workers of a country, province, city, etc, esp ( caps. ) such a strike that took place in Britain in 1926

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general strike Cultural  

1. A strike of all of the workers in a nation or area. General strikes are usually brief and designed to show the unity of the working class.

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Etymology

Origin of general strike

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Charleroi airport has similarly said it will not be able to operate either scheduled departures or arrivals on the day of the general strike - as it also warned passengers of potential disruption on public service networks throughout the strike period.

From BBC

Teachers, medical staff and rubbish collectors will all be joining the rolling industrial action which is set to end in a general strike on Wednesday.

From BBC

The massive, monthslong demonstrations and a general strike forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to postpone the overhaul.

From Seattle Times

Tens of thousands of people protested across the country on Sunday and Monday, and the biggest trade union called a general strike, after the prime minister sacked Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for publicly urging a halt to the reforms.

From BBC

When Mr. Netanyahu’s defense minister, citing that growing danger, urged the prime minister to pause the legislation on Saturday night, Mr. Netanyahu fired him, triggering more protests in the streets, a general strike and, eventually, Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to do what the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, had recommended.

From Washington Post