walkout
Americannoun
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walkouts
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq declined to comment on the US walkout, adding the UN expected all member states to respect the decision.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont responded to the US walkout, saying: "This year we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. And everyone knows the role France has played in that."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The walkout lower level includes three bedrooms, providing ample room for guests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
One source told the BBC that the overall tone of Martin's contribution, as well as the comment about Welsh students not being able to read, sparked the walkout among Plaid MSs.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
“They knew about the walkout, about when we’d be leaving, and you told them? How could you?”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
The downbeat earnings come as Hyundai’s unionized auto workers in South Korea are staging partial walkouts for a second straight week to demand higher wages, doubling strike hours to four per shift this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I heard from friends that screenings at New York’s IFC Center, where “Blue Film” played for an extended run, had their fair share of walkouts.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Some have staged multiple walkouts in recent months to bring attention to their concerns.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
That leaves fundamental questions: Fifteen walkouts have failed to result in an acceptable deal, so if the strikes are having limited impact, why keep calling them?
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
This entire semester has been one ordeal after another, from race riots to walkouts.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
