picketing
picketing — noun
1. a form of protest in which people stand outside a workplace entrance with signs
a form of protest in which people stand outside a workplace entrance with signs and chants, trying to persuade others not to enter, usually as part of a labor strike
Lotte joined the picketing at the hospital gates after her shift was cut.
join picketing at [place]
The picketing outside the textile factory grew so loud that three local stations sent camera crews by noon.
Min's union organized three days of picketing to demand safer working conditions.
The picketing carried on through a heavy downpour until the factory owner finally agreed to discuss wages.
Femi's video capturing the picketing outside the Lagos flour mill was shared by hundreds within hours.
- protest
a broad term for any public show of opposition; picketing is one specific form that involves occupying an entrance
- demonstration
can be a march, rally, or sit-in; picketing is stationary and fixed to a single doorway or gate
- picket line
the physical row of people; often used to mean the activity of picketing, though it emphasizes the formation
文法句型
join / take part in / engage in + picketing
organize / stage + picketing
picketing + outside / at / near + [place]
picketing + during + [strike / dispute]
用法筆記
Picketing is normally peaceful and protected by law in many countries, but mass picketing — where large crowds physically block an entrance — may face legal restrictions. The activity is most common during labor strikes but also appears at political protests and campus disputes.
常見錯誤
picketing — verb
- picketingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- picketings3rd person singular
- picketinging-ing form
- picketingedpast simple
1. to stand or walk near the entrance of a workplace with others, holding signs and
to stand or walk near the entrance of a workplace with others, holding signs and chanting, to protest working conditions or support a strike
Andrew picketed the bank for two weeks after managers refused to discuss pay.
picket + [place] for [duration]
Hoa and her coworkers have been picketing outside the main office since Monday.
have been picketing outside [place]
The nurses picketed the clinic entrance, holding signs that read 'Safe Staffing Now.'
After learning suppliers were underpaid, Eri joined her coworkers to picket the distribution center.
The cafeteria staff picketed near the school entrance while parents dropped off their children.
- protest
much wider in meaning; you can protest by marching, writing, or speaking, not only by standing at a doorway
- demonstrate
similar breadth to protest; picketing is a specific, stationary form of demonstrating
- blockade
stronger and often implies force; picketing is usually peaceful, while a blockade suggests physically preventing access
文法句型
picket + [place / building]
picket + outside / near / at + [place]
be + picketing + [place]
用法筆記
When transitive, the object is the place being picketed (picket the factory, picket the entrance). When intransitive, a preposition is needed (picket outside, picket near the gates). The continuous form is common: 'They are picketing the warehouse.'
常見錯誤
2. to tie an animal to a stake driven into the ground, so it can graze without stra
to tie an animal to a stake driven into the ground, so it can graze without straying
Tara picketed the mare by the old oak tree and went inside to wash up.
Obi drove a stake into the creek bank and picketed the goat where the grass grew thickest.
drive a stake + and picket + animal + where [condition]
The herder picketed his cattle on long lines, shifting the stakes to fresh grass each morning.
Before sitting down to eat, Soraya picketed the donkey near a patch of clover at the pasture's edge.
文法句型
picket + [animal]
picket + [animal] + to + [stake / post]
用法筆記
This sense is rare in modern English and appears mainly in historical or agricultural writing. Do not confuse it with the protest meaning — the context (farming, animals, ropes) makes the meaning clear.