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

Workers at the world's largest copper mine in Chile will go on strike on Wednesday after pay talks with Australian mining giant BHP fell apart, the union said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

He and his mill pals went on strike for three years for the right to unionize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Lecturers previously went on strike for three weeks in February last year.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Workers for delivery and ride-share service Snapp, the Iranian version of Uber and once a symbol of the country’s business hopes, also went on strike this week in several cities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The lab staff was on strike, too, so Papa-Nnukwu could not have the tests done.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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