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general strike

American

noun

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

general strike British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

general strike Cultural

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.

Etymology

Origin of general strike

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Silver Lake sports bar Untamed Spirits and Canyon Coffee in Echo Park said on social media that they will be closed Friday for the general strike.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

By some estimates, a nationwide general strike would be enough to hobble the economy in about a week.

From Salon • Dec. 11, 2025

The head of Portugal's largest union, CGTP, called the reforms "one of the greatest attacks ever made against workers" in the country and announced a general strike for 11 December.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

Unemployment was at 10% even before the Depression; there was a general strike in 1926.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

The Seattle Strike, the first general strike in the United States, takes place.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023