picket line
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of picket line
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
The 24-hour industrial action begins at 07:00 BST on Thursday until 06:59 on Friday, but there will be no picket line demonstrations.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Executives said the plant has enough workers crossing the picket line to run a partial shift during parts of the strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Unlike in the NFL, where top players like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana crossed a picket line during the 1987 NFL Players Assn. strike, unionized baseball players have remained united.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
A year after his appearance in Hazard, he traveled to southwest Virginia and stood on the picket line in solidarity with the striking miners.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
“The Reds had a picket line around the City Hall.”
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
