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

Another incident was a sit-in protest at San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office earlier this year, which ended with the arrests of Wong and five others. —City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026

The protesters planned to end their sit-in later Friday. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

Verb

And Lanza on that particular day more than 40 years ago happened to be sitting in the front row, with his feet propped up on a ledge as Holtz walked in to address his new team. —Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

And Jacob Elordi smiles and raises his fist as the hair/makeup team shout out the actor for sitting in a makeup chair for 400 hours to become the Creature. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 16 Mar. 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
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• kingpin
• linchpin
• pigskin
• pinyin

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