general strike

American

noun

a mass strike in all or many trades and industries in a section or in all parts of a country.

general strike British

noun

a strike by all or most of the workers of a country, province, city, etc, esp ( caps. ) such a strike that took place in Britain in 1926

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

general strike Cultural

A strike of all of the workers in a nation or area. General strikes are usually brief and designed to show the unity of the working class.

Etymology

Origin of general strike

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

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.

Last month, they called for a general strike in support of the demonstrations.

From Barron's

The Chamber of Deputies shrugged off a general strike by weakened unions to pass its version 135-115 on Feb. 19.

From Barron's

They’ve cooked, cared and crusaded for their city and its people, culminating in Minneapolis’ largest general strike since the city joined San Francisco and Toledo in pro-union strikes in 1934, all to show the world what’s possible when we come together.

From Salon

Silver Lake sports bar Untamed Spirits and Canyon Coffee in Echo Park said on social media that they will be closed Friday for the general strike.

From Los Angeles Times

At the end of that year a general strike brought the country to a halt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023