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

See Examples For:

general strike

Last month, they called for a general strike in support of the demonstrations.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

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

At the end of that year a general strike brought the country to a halt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

It followed a call for a general strike by exiled Kurdish opposition groups in response to the deadly crackdown on protests in the region.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

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

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