picket

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person or group stationed outside a workplace or other site to protest and discourage entry

   The striking workers formed a picket outside the factory gate.

2. 2
   verb

   to protest outside a workplace or other site, usually as part of an organized group

   Union members planned to picket the depot throughout the morning.

3. 3
   noun

   a pointed stake driven into the ground, especially one forming part of a fence

   Each picket in the garden fence was painted white.

4. 4
   noun

   a soldier, detachment, or vehicle posted ahead of a military position to watch for an enemy advance

   The commander posted a picket beyond the camp to warn of a surprise attack.

Common collocations

• picket fence Noun + noun

From French piquet ("pointed stake"), from piquer ("to prick or pierce"). The stake gave its name to a military guard posted at an exposed position. In the nineteenth century, picket was extended to workers stationed outside a workplace during a labor dispute, producing the modern protest noun and verb.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images