hunger strike
noun
a deliberate refusal to eat, undertaken in protest against imprisonment, improper treatment, objectionable conditions, etc.
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hunger strike
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hunger-strike
hunger-strikeverb (used without object)to go on a hunger strike.
hunger strike
1 Americannoun
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hunger strikes
plural
hunger-strike
2
American
[huhng-ger-strahyk]
/ ˈhʌŋ gərˌstraɪk /
verb (used without object)
hunger-struck,
hunger-striking
hunger strike
British
noun
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:
He once joined a five-day hunger strike in support of hotel workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Jailed since 2021, Chow has undertaken a hunger strike every June to commemorate the 1989 anniversary.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
He credits activist Sonam Wangchuk's 26-day hunger strike for galvanising support.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
As 1931 dragged on and they remained imprisoned without trial, the couple resorted to a hunger strike in protest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Smuggled-out information that we were on a hunger strike would elicit newspaper stories, which in turn would generate pressure from advocacy groups.
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
"That is the essence of a hunger-strike," said the thin hen.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, March 28, 1917 by Various
That changed on 18 July when Delhi police forcibly removed and hospitalised hunger-striking educator Sonam Wangchuk.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
A federal judge has denied a motion for emergency relief from a hunger-striking Guantanamo Bay detainee whose lawyers said he is on the verge of death and is being denied proper medical care.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2013
For the matters in which she was engaged were no child's play, and the excitements of prison and hunger-striking might tell even on the strongest physique.
From Delia Blanchflower by Mrs. Humphry Ward
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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