sit-down strike

American  

noun

1. a strike during which workers occupy their place of employment and refuse to work or allow others to work until the strike is settled.

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sit-down strike British  

noun

1. a strike in which workers refuse to leave their place of employment until a settlement is reached

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Etymology

Origin of sit-down strike

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sit-down strike

When the elevator breaks down yet again and Isaac can’t get to an exam on the upper floor, the whole school stages a sit-down strike in his support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

The Flint sit-down strike, McCartin concluded, "was certainly the single most pivotal strike of the era."

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2021

Kildee’s congressional district includes the city of Flint, where a sit-down strike by General Motors workers in 1936-1937 brought about one of the biggest victories for labor unions in America’s history.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2021

The narrative really took on a life of its own when a New Yorker article in 1976 referred to "a sort of sit-down strike one day about half-way through the mission".

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2021

As for Life magazine and its boosterish enthusiasms, Mr. Brinkley shows how the “Life Goes to a Party” feature covered a women’s sit-down strike at Woolworths as the “newest type of camping excursion.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2010