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
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.
The walkout lower level includes three bedrooms, providing ample room for guests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
A separate 24-hour walkout will take place on Monday 29 June.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
The suit contends that the plan includes a weigh-in at the Lincoln Memorial and a pre-fight walkout from the Oval Office.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
GM has kept pickup production on schedule since the walkout began June 1, but analysts have said the company’s operations wouldn’t last long without a fresh supply of axles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
On February 11, five days after the walkout had begun, the strike committee voted to end it.
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.
