walkout

American  

[wawk-out] / ˈwɔkˌaʊt /

Or walk-out

noun

1. a strike by workers.

2. the act of leaving or being absent from a meeting, especially as an expression of protest.

3. 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.

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adjective

1. having a doorway that gives direct access to the outdoors.

   a walkout basement.

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

A second 24-hour walkout will begin at 12:00 on Thursday, causing disruption into Friday.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Talks between Samsung and its labor union to avert a walkout collapsed External link on Wednesday.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Even as the school attendance rate plummeted, students organized a walkout.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

A walkout could hit about 3% of global memory-chip production according to Jefferies estimates.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Almost as soon as the walkout began, something that today would probably seem strange began to happen.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• escape
• evacuation
• exit
• exodus
• flight
• passage
• removal
• retirement
• retreat
• separation
• takeoff
• withdrawal