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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

• sit-ins
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sit-ins
  plural

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

See Examples For:

sit-in sit in sit-ins

In recent weeks, the Cockroach movement has snowballed—starting as a quiet, weekslong sit-in in the nation’s capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Officers also dismantled the protesters' stage and makeshift tents at Jantar Mantar, but demonstrators have refused to leave, maintaining a round-the-clock sit-in under heavy police and paramilitary deployment.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

In May, Nixon staged a five-hour sit-in outside of Gov. DeSantis’ office at the Florida Capitol to urge a DeSantis staff member to speak with her about affordability in the state.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

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

Beginning in 1960, black high school and college students staged sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters and restaurants in more than a hundred Southern cities.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

One time, one of my friends that I played football with said, “Man, can I come sit in your house to see what it’s like to have a daddy?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Krook: It took two years to convince him that that was a good idea to sit in the middle of the pyro and do this, but to his credit he did.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Instead, two fire hose cabinets sit in each gallery, one at the front, and one near Cell 24.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

At L’Alegria de l’Horta on the Malvarrosa Beach promenade, I sit in pressed clothes and drink fine Valencian wine.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

I sit in the dark quiet of the room.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

In recent years, Mahrang Baloch, a physician in her early 30s who organized sit-ins and marches, became the most prominent female face of peaceful Baloch activism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

The movement behind nationwide protests sweeping Morocco, the GenZ 212 youth collective, called Monday for "peaceful sit-ins" to push its demands for reforms.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

Students at Sapienza University where she works are staging sit-ins at several faculties.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

Where students organize walkouts and sit-ins to fight for a better education.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2025

The lunch-counter sit-ins signaled a new consensus for change among black Durhamites of all classes.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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