picket
noun
pick·et
| \ ˈpi-kət
\
\
Definition of picket
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a pointed or sharpened stake, post, or pale
2a
: a detached body of soldiers serving to guard an army from surprise
b
: a detachment kept ready in camp for such duty
c
: sentry
3a
: a person posted by a labor organization at a place of work affected by a strike
… dispossessed theatergoers shared the sidewalks with grim pickets yesterday as the stagehands' strike shut down most of Broadway's plays and musicals.— Robert D. McFadden
also
: a person posted for a demonstration or protest
In front of the White House pickets are marching… — Lady Bird Johnson
b
: a protest or strike involving pickets
In such situations, the union often pickets the plant as well, but it is strictly an informational picket publicizing the nature of the controversy…— Matthew A. Kelly
picket
verb
picketed;
picketing;
pickets
Definition of picket (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to enclose, fence, or fortify with pickets
2a
: to guard with a picket
b
: to post as a picket
3
: tether
4a
: to post pickets at
b
: to walk or stand in front of as a picket
: to serve as a picket
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for picket
Synonyms: Noun
custodian, guard, guardian, keeper, lookout, minder, sentinel, sentry, warden, warder, watch, watcher, watchman
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of picket in a Sentence
Noun
a house surrounded by a white picket fence Pickets marched in front of the company headquarters. The strikers held picket signs painted with angry slogans. The students were barred from holding a picket outside the company's headquarters.Verb
Workers picketed outside the grocery store. The union is picketing the factory.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Dominic Douglass bounced around the driveway of his family’s Northeast Portland home Wednesday morning, tapping the white picket fence bordering the deck. — oregonlive.com, "Portland back to school: Lost teeth earn bragging rights, birthdays bring hugs on the first day of class," 28 Aug. 2019 Since the earliest days of television, homes on the small screen—from the suburban ranch with its white picket fence to the loft with its views of the city skyline—have shaped our reality and our desires. — Joanna Scutts, Curbed, "The shows we’ve lived by," 14 Aug. 2019 The barrier recently went up as the National Park Service and the Secret Service began a $64 million project to install a 13-foot, 1-inch steel picket fence around the White House — twice as tall as the fence being replaced. — Kali Robinson, BostonGlobe.com, "White House fence project obscures tourists’ view," 4 Aug. 2019 Defense lawyers have countered that Sullivan and Brissette asked, but did not demand, that Crash Line hire members of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 11 to avoid the embarrassment of a union picket. — Maria Cramer, BostonGlobe.com, "‘If he didn’t hire them, he wouldn’t get his entertainment license,’ Menino’s daughter-in-law says at Boston Calling trial," 29 July 2019 Gilbertown is like apple pie and white picket fences. — Christopher Harress | [email protected], al.com, "Small town America does have an opioid problem, but not in this Alabama town," 23 July 2019 Willingness to contact an MP has fallen; willingness to march or join a picket has risen. — The Economist, "How Brexit made Britain a country of Remainers and Leavers," 20 June 2019 One important role: a radar picket for the rest of the fleet. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Could Airships Really Revolutionize the U.S. Navy?," 21 May 2019 White picket fences surround gardens and a brick patio in the backyard. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, "Diane Keaton’s former coastal retreat lists in Laguna Beach," 17 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Airline catering workers have been picketing at airports across the country this summer and talk has swirled about a work slow-down that could potentially disrupt air travel. — BostonGlobe.com, "Boston airline catering workers, union leaders to protest at American Airlines HQ," 13 Aug. 2019 But supporters of Boykins protested, reportedly picketing Buttigieg's first State of the City address and calling for the tapes to be released. — Erin Donaghue, CBS News, "Angry South Bend residents blasted Pete Buttigieg at a town hall. Here is why," 24 June 2019 Defense lawyers have said Brissette and Sullivan wanted to keep the union from picketing the festival, a protest that would have been highlighted by a large inflatable rat. — Maria Cramer, BostonGlobe.com, "Jury reaches verdict in Boston Calling extortion case," 7 Aug. 2019 The organization recently picketed Painting America, which is associated with six of their projects. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "West Side apartment building approved amid wage dispute involving developer," 7 Aug. 2019 The Tubbses — all nine of them — picketed the Eugene Keller Williams Realty offices Thursday, KEZI reported. — Matthew Martinez, The Seattle Times, "Family didn’t know dream home was contaminated with meth," 6 Aug. 2018 The carpenters picketed two sites, in St. Paul and Minneapolis, where the drywall and painting company was working Friday. — Christopher Magan, Twin Cities, "Carpenters picket to highlight wage theft laws; contractors targeted dispute claims," 2 Aug. 2019 Some of Facebook’s cafeteria workers on Tuesday picketed at the social network’s downtown office in San Francisco, following months of negotiations over higher wages and a shorter work day. — Melia Russell, SFChronicle.com, "Facebook cafeteria workers protest pay, hours in San Francisco," 16 July 2019 Since 1965, a small, polite group of gays and lesbians had been picketing outside Liberty Hall. — Andrew Solomon, New York Times, "The First New York Pride March Was an Act of ‘Desperate Courage’," 27 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'picket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for picket
picket
noun
English Language Learners Definition of picket
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a stick or post that is pointed at the end so that it can be put into the ground
: a person or group of people who are standing or marching near a place to protest something
British
: a protest or strike involving pickets