sickout

American

[sik-out] / ˈsɪkˌaʊt /

noun

an organized absence from work by employees on the pretext of sickness, as to avoid the legal problems or antistrike clauses that would be invoked in the case of a formal strike.

Etymology

Origin of sickout

1950–55; probably sick ¹ + (walk)out

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:

sickout

On Nov. 10, the team executed a one-day sickout.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2022

Last-minute closures in Seattle Public Schools this week have prompted students to organize a sickout, threaten a strike, demand improved safety protocols and call for more transparency from the state’s largest school district.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2022

In Oakland, where Bacigalupi lives, schools did not reopen until August 2021, and a teacher sickout protesting conditions closed them for one day last week.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 12, 2022

The teachers union, Oakland Education Assn., did not sanction or become involved in the sickout.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2022

A group of educators had called for a sickout, arguing that the school district hadn't done enough to protect them during the surge.

From Fox News ● Jan. 7, 2022

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