strikebreaker

noun

strike·​break·​er ˈstrīk-ˌbrā-kər How to pronounce strikebreaker (audio)
: a person hired to replace a striking worker

Examples of strikebreaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The late night host appeared before a Writers Guild of America West trial committee in February and June 2009, and was eventually cleared, with his name not appearing on the WGA West’s list of strikebreakers. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2023 This policy has been strictly enforced in the past and has resulted in convincing many would be strikebreakers to refrain from harming the Guild and its members during a strike. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 2 May 2023 But will the strikebreakers wear an onion on their belt a la Abraham Simpson? Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2023 Warrior Met has other strong allies, particularly Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, who instructed the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency back in 2021 to provide armed escorts for the strikebreakers entering and leaving the mines, proclaiming everyone has a right to get to work safely. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2023 The strikebreaker was acquitted. Bernice Yeung, ProPublica, 21 Dec. 2020 Qadir, whose mother had been the president of the N.A.A.C.P. in West Memphis, Arkansas, felt ashamed that inmates might see him as a strikebreaker. Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 15 June 2020 Their purpose is to protect property, not people, and labor history is littered with accounts of police moonlighting as strikebreakers or charging in to harass or injure striking workers. Kim Kelly, The New Republic, 29 May 2020 Working with mining bosses, the local sheriff hastily deputized about 2,000 strikebreakers to round up about 1,200 miners, mostly immigrants from Mexico and eastern Europe. Washington Post, 14 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strikebreaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strikebreaker was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near strikebreaker

Cite this Entry

“Strikebreaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strikebreaker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

strikebreaker

noun
strike·​break·​er -ˌbrā-kər How to pronounce strikebreaker (audio)
: a person hired to replace a striking worker

Legal Definition

strikebreaker

noun
strike·​break·​er ˈstrīk-ˌbrā-kər How to pronounce strikebreaker (audio)
: an individual hired to replace a striking worker

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