hunger strike

noun

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of hunger strike

: refusal (as by a prisoner) to eat enough to sustain life

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hunger striker

noun

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Recent Examples of hunger strike from the Web

In late December, a group of about 45 inmates at the Allred Unit in north Texas went on hunger strike, citing complaints over recreational time and food portions and temperature.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "More than a dozen Huntsville prisoners on hunger strike after lockdown sparked by feces-throwing," 16 Apr. 2018
Last winter, Hector led two dozen of her peers on a six-day hunger strike that ended after Morehouse and Spelman agreed to offer free meals to students who live off campus.

— maya rhodan, Time, "A New Era of Protest Is Energizing Historically Black Colleges and Universities. But There Are Challenges," 22 May 2018
Fawcett's suffrage movement used non-violent methods to campaign for equal rights for women, as opposed to the more radical suffragettes known for their extreme tactics of hunger strikes, arson and chaining themselves to property.

— sheena mckenzie, CNN, "All the statues in London's Parliament Square were men -- until now," 24 Apr. 2018
Inside, Santrich was believed to have initiated a hunger strike to demand his release, according to his lawyer.

— joshua goodman, chicagotribune.com, "Former FARC rebels in Colombia blame U.S. for leader's arrest," 10 Apr. 2018
This feast — a goose makes a brief appearance — stands in sharp contrast to the hunger strike by the political prisoners during the long Troubles as Ireland sought its independence from Britain.

— toby zinman, Philly.com, "London Theater: 'The Ferryman' at the Royal Court, London: Delicious accents, hard truths, engaging cast," 6 May 2018
When some detainees began a hunger strike during Obama’s second term, Kelly feared that the issue was being framed too sympathetically.

— matt flegenheimer, New York Times, "How Long Can John Kelly Hang On?," 26 Feb. 2018
The head of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, began a hunger strike on April 13 to push for stricter laws for rape in India, including the death penalty.

— sugam pokharel and laura smith-spark, CNN, "India seeks death penalty for child rapists," 21 Apr. 2018
The government reports 13,000 protests ranging from work stoppages to hunger strikes, most economic-based, in 2017 alone.

— taylor luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "Tunisia's democracy: Freedom is disappointingly messy, but there's hope," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hunger strike.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.