hunger strike

¹ American  

noun

1. a deliberate refusal to eat, undertaken in protest against imprisonment, improper treatment, objectionable conditions, etc.

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hunger-strike ² American  

[huhng-ger-strahyk] / ˈhʌŋ gərˌstraɪk /

verb (used without object)

hunger-struck, hunger-striking

1. to go on a hunger strike.

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hunger strike British  

noun

1. a voluntary fast undertaken, usually by a prisoner, as a means of protest

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Other Word Forms

• hunger striker noun

Etymology

Origin of hunger strike¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of hunger-strike²

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

She is allowed weekly visits to Duannis, who has staged several hunger strikes.

From Los Angeles Times

At UCLA, professors in the Chicana/o and Central American Studies program — its founding dates to a 1993 hunger strike modeled after ones Chávez did — voted to remove his name from the department.

From Los Angeles Times

He deployed nonviolent tactics—including boycotts, marches and hunger strikes—to win rights for farmworkers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Family members have been clamoring for their release for weeks, including a group of women in Caracas who staged a nearly weeklong hunger strike.

From Barron's

Activists say some family members of those imprisoned in the facility have gone on hunger strike to demand the release of their relatives.

From BBC

Related Words

• fasting