picket line

noun

1
: a position held by a line of military pickets
2
: a line of people picketing a business, organization, or institution

Examples of picket line in a Sentence

She joined her coworkers on the picket line.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dozens of health care workers walked the picket line outside the medical center in Roseville Tuesday morning, chanting and carrying signs, many wearing raincoats and ponchos. Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025 Workers on the picket line in front of San Diego Medical Center on Tuesday morning were emphatic that the decision to walk a picket line rather than the halls of their hospital was about far more than money. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025 Barring a late-hour breakthrough in negotiations, passers-by can expect to see picket lines outside of Kaiser hospitals in Oakland and Santa Clara starting Tuesday morning, when 2,800 health professionals in Northern California plan to stop work to seek higher pay and staffing improvements. Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2025 At the Kaiser Medical Center in Ontario, more than 600 people formed a picket line along Vineyard Avenue. Pat Maio, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for picket line

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of picket line was in 1847

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Picket line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picket%20line. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

picket line

noun
1
: a position held by a line of military pickets
2
: a line of individuals (as striking workers or protestors) who are demonstrating against a business, organization, or institution

Legal Definition

picket line

noun
: a line of people picketing a business, institution, or organization
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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