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); sit ¹, -in ³

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

“It wasn’t a matter of Gandhi or Dr. King then,” he said of the library sit-in, “it was just my own private pride and self-respect.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

In 2021, while just a freshman lawmaker, when the federal eviction moratorium was set to expire, Bush staged a sit-in on the steps of the Capitol to push the White House to extend it.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2025

McKissick told reporters that the sit-in was actually sponsored by several national and local civil rights and religious organizations.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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