unionize
Americanverb (used with object)
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unionizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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unionized,
past participle, past
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unionizing
present participle
-
to organize into a labor union; bring into or incorporate in a labor union.
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to subject to the rules of a labor union.
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Obsolete. to form into a union.
verb (used without object)
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unionizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unionized,
past participle, past
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unionizing
present participle
-
to join in a labor union.
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Obsolete. to form a union.
verb
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to organize (workers) into a trade union
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to join or cause to join a trade union
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(tr) to subject to the rules or codes of a trade union
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to join or become joined in marriage or civil partnership
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unionizesimple
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unionizessimple
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have unionizedperfect
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has unionizedperfect
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am unionizingprogressive
-
are unionizingprogressive
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is unionizingprogressive
-
have been unionizingperfect progressive
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has been unionizingperfect progressive
Past
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unionizedsimple
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had unionizedperfect
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was unionizingprogressive
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were unionizingprogressive
-
had been unionizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unionize
Explanation
To unionize is to form a group of workers that has more power to negotiate with an employer. Fast food employees might unionize so they can bargain for higher wages and safer working conditions. When workers unionize, they vote to join a union, or a collective bargaining group. Sometimes belonging to a union is easy: most public school teachers, police officers, and other municipal employees automatically join existing unions when they're hired. In non-union jobs, however, like waiting tables or delivering food, employees who want to unionize have to convince a majority of their coworkers to vote in favor of the move.
Vocabulary lists containing unionize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Attempts to unionize the talent were mounted in the 1980s, first by hoo-rah heel Sgt.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
The National Labor Relations Act doesn’t allow sub- and independent contractors to unionize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Athletes.org, a nonprofit organization that advocates for college athletes’ rights, opposes the bill and continues to push for athletes to be allowed to unionize.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
I worked at the first Trader Joe’s store to unionize, and when I attended a bargaining session in 2023, I was shocked by what I saw and heard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Lately, my mother and father sometimes talked in low voices about the attempts to unionize the plant.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
GM is likely to be the next company to settle because it has agreed to pull new electric vehicle battery factories into the UAW’s national contract, which essentially unionizes them.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
A simple majority of valid ballots submitted by Amazon workers will determine if the upstate-New York facility unionizes.
From Reuters ● Oct. 18, 2022
Keisha Renaud, 50, an associate from East Orange, New Jersey, said she would leave the facility if it unionizes.
From Reuters ● Mar. 25, 2022
Apple Store employees hope that once the first store successfully unionizes, others will fall like dominoes.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022
And if Northwestern unionizes, soon Florida will unionize.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2014
The Pacific Maritime Association said it is finalizing an extension to a labor contract with 250 unionized watchmen, or port security guards, that is due to expire Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Last week, after years of fighting for pay increases, the cheerleaders announced that they have unionized, with the Cowboys recognizing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading Assn. as the collective bargaining representative for the cheer squad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
On top of that, over 100 unionized trades workers work on campus.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
The latest blow to McClatchy’s newsrooms came last week when Chatham sent layoff notices to more than 90 unionized journalists and media workers at 17 publications in California and elsewhere across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
For the next eighteen years, C.P. worked full-time as an organizer for the IUOE, traveling throughout the state and rolling up an impressive record of victories for unionized workers.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
The UAW claimed that Mercedes engaged in unfair labor practices by allegedly disciplining a worker for union activity and discouraging workers from unionizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
His goal is to talk up the VW agreement to cajole workers at Mercedes and other foreign plants into unionizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
The effort is led by Starbucks Workers United, which describes itself as “a worker-led unionizing effort run by people who are also working regularly scheduled shifts.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
Drivers are pushing back and taking steps toward unionizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2025
Track officials viewed any effort to create funds for injured riders as unionizing, and they were ready to ban any jockey who took steps in that direction.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
