sit-down

[sit-doun]

adjective

1. done or accomplished while sitting down.

   sit-down meetings between the two party leaders.

2. (of a meal or food) served to or intended for persons seated at a table.

   a sit-down dinner.

noun

1. Informal.,  a period or instance of sitting, as to relax, talk, or the like.

   They had a profitable sit-down together.

2. sit-down strike.

3. a protest demonstration whereby participants refuse to move from a public place.

4. Informal.,  a meal, especially a dinner, served to persons who are seated at a table.

sit down

verb

1. to adopt or cause (oneself or another) to adopt a sitting posture

2. to suffer (insults, etc) without protests or resistance

noun

1. a form of civil disobedience in which demonstrators sit down in a public place as a protest or to draw attention to a cause

2. See sit-down strike

adjective

1. (of a meal, etc) eaten while sitting down at a table

Word History and Origins

Origin of sit down¹

First recorded in 1830–40; adj. and noun use of verb phrase sit down

Idioms and Phrases

Take a seat, as in Won't you sit down? I won't be long . [c. 1200]

sit down to . Prepare to eat a meal, as in At six we all sat down to dinner . [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

Driver and Emmanuel are both reluctant to have Figgis’ camera capture them at work, supplying rather formal sit-down interviews instead, so their presence feels diminished here.

From Los Angeles Times

A group of tenants at the building are showing their opposition to the plan with a sit-down protest at a long white plastic table with outdoor chairs occupying some parking spaces.

From Los Angeles Times

“That was the last time I saw the twinkle in my friend’s eye,” Schilling, 83, says of the sit-down with Streisand.

From Los Angeles Times

The sit-down turned acrimonious, with the Chinese accusing the Americans of "condescension and hypocrisy".

From BBC

The company reportedly said it "deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico's Indigenous people and recognises the relevance" of criticisms, and requested a sit-down to talk about how to "repair the damage" to Indigenous communities.

From BBC

Related Words

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