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Synonyms

work stoppage

American  

noun

  1. the collective stoppage of work by employees in a business or an industry to protest working conditions.


Etymology

Origin of work stoppage

First recorded in 1940–45

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 work stoppage imperils GM’s heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, as the automaker has limited axle stock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The work stoppage occurred as the UAW contract with the plant expired at midnight Monday without a new deal in place.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

A Samsung strike "would almost certainly have been the biggest work stoppage in the history of the global semiconductor industry", South Korean writer and researcher Kap Seol said in an article for US magazine Jacobin.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

The NFL and its referees association have a new collective bargaining agreement, avoiding a work stoppage and hopefully anything like 2012’s botched ‘Fail Mary’ call.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

It encouraged the leaders of twenty-four separate steel worker craft unions to come together under the banner of the AFL and stage a national work stoppage.

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

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