walkout
Americannoun
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a strike by workers.
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the act of leaving or being absent from a meeting, especially as an expression of protest.
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a doorway in a building or room that gives direct access to the outdoors.
a home with a sliding-glass walkout from the living room to the patio.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of walkout
1885–90, noun, adj. use of verb phrase walk out
Explanation
When workers protest wages or working conditions by leaving their workplace together, it's called a walkout. Sometimes students stage walkouts, refusing to attend classes, to demonstrate their disapproval with school policies. If your friends at school object strongly to the dress code, they might plan a walkout, abandoning English class and gathering outside to chant protest slogans. You can think of a walkout as a kind of strike, a mass demonstration that conveys a message to company owners or others in charge. By refusing to work, even briefly, workers are able to really get their employers' attention — this makes walkouts a powerful form of protest.
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.
The planned walkout was expected to dwarf a 2024 strike that drew about 6,000 workers, as anger flares among staff over how the company distributes its massive profits from an artificial intelligence-fuelled boom.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
A second 24-hour walkout will begin at 12:00 on Thursday, causing disruption into Friday.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Carano entered the cage to cheers from the fans, while Rousey was welcomed "home" by the announcer as she made her walkout with trademark intensity.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Samsung’s workers are demanding the company allocate 15% of its operating profit for bonuses and are threatening a general walkout from May 21 to June 7.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Within four days, their ranks had swelled to more than 365,000, the largest walkout that had ever taken place in the United States.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
