sit-in

1 of 2

noun

ˈsit-ˌin 

1

: sit-down sense 1

2

a

: an act of occupying seats in a racially segregated establishment in organized protest against discrimination

b

: an act of sitting in the seats or on the floor of an establishment as a means of organized protest

sit in

2 of 2

verb

sat in; sitting in; sits in

intransitive verb

1

: to take part in or be present at a session of music or discussion as a visitor

—often used with on

invited to sit in on a rehearsal

2

: to participate in a sit-in

Examples of sit-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a moment in the third act of the film when Judy is unable to physically be at the San Francisco sit-in. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Rather than a more conventional biopic, Heder wanted to tell the more specific story of the 504 sit-in, building out an ensemble of characters around Heumann. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Whether that meant going down with an injury to break up the flow or sitting in with a solid, deep shape for five minutes, the storm needed to be weathered. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Chen’s role will be to sit in front of a video camera and make facial expressions at the prompt of a director. — Ling Wei, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1936, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sit-in

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• crankpin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin

Kids Definition

sit-in

noun

ˈsit-ˌin

: an act of sitting in seats or on the floor (as in a restaurant or office) as a means of organized protest