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  • hunger strike
    hunger strike
    noun
    a deliberate refusal to eat, undertaken in protest against imprisonment, improper treatment, objectionable conditions, etc.
  • hunger-strike
    hunger-strike
    verb (used without object)
    to go on a hunger strike.
Synonyms

hunger strike

1 American  

noun

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


hunger-strike 2 American  
[huhng-ger-strahyk] / ˈhʌŋ gərˌstraɪk /

verb (used without object)

hunger-struck, hunger-striking
  1. to go on a hunger strike.


hunger strike British  

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of hunger strike1

First recorded in 1885–90

Origin of hunger-strike2

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

See Examples For:

Gabriela Soto, the wife of Martin Soto, a leader of the hunger strike, recalled her experiences with ICE attempting to move her husband from Delaney Hall, which was ultimately successful.

From Salon Jul. 17, 2026

That may also explain why, more than seven decades later, Indians continue to reach instinctively for the hunger strike.

From BBC Jul. 16, 2026

"It is our duty to raise our voice," the 59-year-old, who remains on hunger strike at the protest site, told AFP.

From Barron's Jul. 8, 2026

Starting on May 19, detainees launched a labor and hunger strike within Delaney Hall, which quickly became a hot spot for anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests and organizing.

From Salon Jun. 29, 2026

Political detainees all across the country had held a successful hunger strike, persuading the minister of law and order to release over nine hundred of them.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

She began recounting her story in media interviews and on Palm Sunday 1996 began a weeks-long hunger-strike and vigil in Lafayette Square outside the White House.

From Washington Post Feb. 19, 2021

They conducted a week-long "hunger-strike" in protest, claiming that the British government had not done enough to help their son.

From BBC Oct. 27, 2017

Elshamy's younger brother Mosa'ab, an award-winning independent photojournalist, said on Monday night that the move marked a "huge victory" for the reporter, whom the authorities had denied was undergoing a hunger-strike.

From The Guardian Jun. 16, 2014

“This was a very short hunger-strike and was not widely discussed or reported like most things in Bagram,” he said.

From Newsweek Sep. 2, 2013

"Didn't she hunger-strike to force the Authorities to accord her better prison treatment?"

From Mrs. Warren's Daughter A Story of the Woman's Movement by Johnston, Harry Hamilton, Sir

Last week, she gave an exclusive interview to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, calling for the release of her friend, the hunger-striking activist Farhad Meysami.

From Washington Post Feb. 15, 2023

Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks linked to the case of the hunger-striking Alfredo Cospito, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.

From Reuters Jan. 31, 2023

JERICHO, West Bank – A Palestinian court on Thursday extended the detention of a hunger-striking Palestinian-American activist who claims she was tortured in captivity.

From Fox News Dec. 6, 2018

Navy Capt. John Robinson, a spokesman for the prison, said in a statement that an 11-year-old military policy permitting the involuntary feeding of hunger-striking detainees remained in effect.

From New York Times Oct. 11, 2017

She spoke with a proud reticence as to her sufferings, about her recent sojourn in Holloway, from which she had gained release by hunger-striking a fortnight before.

From The Judge by West, Rebecca

One day last fortnight, after 650 of the prison's 1,414 prisoners had yammered, clamored and "hunger-struck" against the prison food and discipline, six ringleaders were thrust into "The Klondike."

From Time Magazine Archive

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