walkout
Americannoun
-
walkouts
plural
-
a strike by workers.
-
the act of leaving or being absent from a meeting, especially as an expression of protest.
-
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:
Dundee University staff are also staging a five-week walkout.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The two demonstrators appeared to suffer only minor injuries and neither were Amazon employees, according to Teamsters Local 1932 spokesperson Robert Gonzalez, who was at the walkout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
A planned four-hour walkout that day had been scrapped, but one slated for Tuesday may still take place, the representative said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The walkout lower level includes three bedrooms, providing ample room for guests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Some of them bid Moss goodbye and reminded him of their commitment to the walkout, while others just quietly departed.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
On the same day, unions representing teachers, hospital staff and civil servants also called for a day of walkouts to protest against issues including low wages and working conditions.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 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
Trump watched the event octagon-side alongside White, while the United States Marine Band serenaded fighters during their walkouts, which started from inside the White House.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The threatened walkouts come after the union filed two labor practice complaints with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 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.
