walkout

1 of 2

noun

walk·​out ˈwȯk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce walkout (audio)
1
2
: the action of leaving a meeting or organization as an expression of disapproval

walk out

2 of 2

verb

walked out; walking out; walks out

intransitive verb

1
: to leave suddenly often as an expression of disapproval
2
: to go on strike
Phrases
walk out on
: to leave in the lurch : abandon, desert

Examples of walkout in a Sentence

Noun Hundreds of workers staged a walkout to protest conditions in the factory. after four weeks of the walkout, management gave in Verb we simply walked out after waiting half an hour for someone to come and serve us the salesclerks walked out upon learning of the second pay cut in six months
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Their walkouts have subsequently caused numerous cancellations of surgeries and medical treatments at the hospitals. Hyung-Jin Kim, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 The South Korean government is also planning to investigate the damage caused to the health-care system by the walkout by thousands of trainee doctors, which has led to surgery cancellations and people being turned away from emergency rooms. Shinhye Kang, Bloomberg.com, 27 Feb. 2024 From rallies in New York City and Los Angeles to walkouts in Oklahoma, members of the LGBTQ+ community have shown their support for Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student who died earlier this month after a fight at their Owasso, Oklahoma school. Omar Villafranca, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2024 Students at Oklahoma’s Owasso High School staged a walkout Monday, with 40 students leaving class to protest the death of former student Nex Benedict — and the bullying polices students believe caused Benedict’s death, NBC News reports. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 The Manors, situated on the west edge of the community, is made up of 45 single-family homesites with many walkout and daylight lots available. Reecenichols Real Estate, Kansas City Star, 18 Feb. 2024 The power struggle between employees pushing for flexibility and employers trying to reel workers back has manifested in employee walkouts, corporate threats and even mass resignations. Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024 Selected surgeries have been reduced at five major general hospitals in Seoul due to the walkout, Yonhap reported. Jenny Lee, Fortune Asia, 22 Feb. 2024 The walkout came after Rowland appeared as a guest on the Today show in its 8 a.m. hour, and fellow singer Rita Ora ultimately stepped in to replace her as guest host. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
What looked like a silly stunt, having the actor walk out naked to commemorate the streaker who raced across the Oscar stage a half-century ago, actually became a pretty clever silly stunt by wedding that to presenting best costume design. Brian Lowry, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Trump made a swift exit, too, not even taking the chance to disparage Haley to a crowd of reporters—just a couple of stiff one-handed waves before walking out the grand doors alone. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024 When the United Auto Workers (UAW) union walked out last summer at the big three automakers, one of its demands was a return to pensions. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Here is one solution to put such vile remarks in their place: Immediately upon hearing any hate speech in the council chamber, the council members quietly walk out, returning only when the speaker is done. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 In late February, friends and classmates of Benedict walked out of class to protest their school’s policies and culture surrounding bullying. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Mysterio walked out with crutches, but just as Legado del Fantasma tried to pounce, Mysterio wiped them out with his crutch before having a showdown with Santos Escobar. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Thousands of trainee doctors have handed in their resignations and walked out in protest, saying the plan doesn’t address key issues with their working conditions. Sam Kim, Fortune Asia, 28 Feb. 2024 Morris and the others walked out of Pershing with huge smiles across their faces. Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'walkout.' 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

Noun

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of walkout was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near walkout

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

walkout

1 of 2 noun
walk·​out ˈwȯ-ˌkau̇t How to pronounce walkout (audio)
1
2
: the action of leaving a meeting or organization as an expression of disapproval

walk out

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)wȯ-ˈkau̇t
1
: to go on strike
2
: to leave suddenly often as an expression of disapproval

Legal Definition

walkout

noun
walk·​out ˈwȯk-ˌau̇t How to pronounce walkout (audio)
1
: strike
2
: the action of leaving a meeting or organization as an expression of disapproval

More from Merriam-Webster on walkout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!