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• sit-in
  sit-in

  noun

  any organized protest in which a group of people peacefully occupy and refuse to leave a premises.
• sit in
  sit in

  Attend or take part as a visitor, as in My son's jazz group asked me to sit in tonight . It is often put as sit in on , as in They asked me to sit in on their poker game . [Mid-1800s]

sit-in

American  

[sit-in] / ˈsɪtˌɪn /

noun

1. any organized protest in which a group of people peacefully occupy and refuse to leave a premises.

   Sixty students staged a sit-in outside the dean's office.

2. an organized passive protest, especially against racial segregation, in which the demonstrators occupy seats prohibited to them, as in restaurants and other public places.

3. sit-down strike.

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sit-in British  

noun

1. a form of civil disobedience in which demonstrators occupy seats in a public place and refuse to move as a protest

2. another term for sit-down strike

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verb

1. (often foll by for) to deputize (for)

2. (foll by on) to take part (in) as a visitor or guest

   we sat in on Professor Johnson's seminar

3. to organize or take part in a sit-in

sit in Idioms  

1. Attend or take part as a visitor, as in My son's jazz group asked me to sit in tonight . It is often put as sit in on , as in They asked me to sit in on their poker game . [Mid-1800s]

2. Take part in a sit-in, that is, an organized protest in which seated participants refuse to move. For example, The students threatened to sit in unless the dean was reinstated . [c. 1940]

3. sit in on . Visit or observe, as in I'm sitting in on his class, but not for credit . [Early 1900s]

4. sit in for . Substitute for a regular member of a group, as in I'm just sitting in for Harold, who couldn't make it .

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Etymology

Origin of sit-in

1955–60; noun use of verb phrase sit in (a place); cf. sit ¹, -in ³

Explanation

A sit-in is a type of political demonstration where protesters gather in a building or space and refuse to leave. During the U.S. civil rights movement, lunch counter sit-ins were a common form of protest. The goal of a sit-in is to have specific demands met as well as to raise awareness about the issue. Most sit-ins occur in public spaces, from restaurants to small town city halls to university buildings. Sit-ins almost always get the attention of the press, the public, and the officials whose policies are being demonstrated against. While sit-in participants don't always literally sit down, they usually do — hence the term's name.

Example Sentences

In 1960, he participated in his first sit-in, in Greenville, South Carolina, and then joined Alabama's Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights marches in 1965, where he caught King's attention.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

At Tehran University of Medical Sciences, students held a march and a sit-in in solidarity with imprisoned students and other young detainees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

That summer, 1960, Jackson came home and led a sit-in at the library, his arrest a first taste of civil disobedience.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

Rather than turning on their side, before staging a sit-in protest against the board after the game, West Ham supporters instead sensed a way back into it.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

I glance over from the stove and see the sit-in at Brown’s Drug Store is the front-page news.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Related Words

• demonstration
• protest
• revolt
• riot
• sit-down
• walkout