on strike

Idioms

Engaged in a work stoppage, as in The auto workers were on strike for the entire summer. The use of strike for a concerted labor stoppage undertaken to gain concessions from employers dates from the early 1800s. Today it is also used more loosely, as in Where washing dishes is concerned, Mom has announced that she's on strike. Also see go out, def. 4.

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:

on strike

UAW members went on strike against Illinois-based Deere in 2021 for the first time in 35 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Workers at Waterville’s paper mill have been on strike for months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The union Unite told the BBC it planned to ballot members on strike action over the way the changes were being implemented.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

It has pressed ahead with layoffs in subsidiaries including in the Spanish city of Barcelona, where staff have walked out on strike over the job cuts in recent weeks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

On a whim I call Caroline to see if she’s on strike: no, not her hotel.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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