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.
After the Google Walkout, Gupta went on to successfully advocate for ending forced arbitration both in Congress and inside Google, where she is also known for her work on diversity.
From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2022
Walkout organisers say the entertainment company has shown "apathy" in response to the bill.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2022
A graphic posted to the council's social media reads, "Walkout with us to protect our students, families and teachers."
From Fox News • Jan. 13, 2022
Google Walkout Organizers Say They’re Facing Retaliation Google employees who helped organize a November walkout of thousands of employees say they’ve been demoted and told to drop their concerns about ethics, Nitasha Tiku reports.
From The Verge • Apr. 24, 2019
All I wanted was an old-fashioned Teenager Walkout, wherein I stomp out of the room and slam the door to my bedroom and turn up The Hectic Glow and furiously write a eulogy.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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.
