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to picket outside

to picket outside

1 5.0
To stand or march outside a building to show you are against something
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpɪkɪt aʊtsaɪd/
translation icon : protestar afuera
  • Nowadays, when you think of abortions, you think of a nice clean clinic with doctors, nurses, anesthesia, and assholes picketing outside.
  • picket outside the courthouse
  • picket outside the building
  • workers picket outside

Examples

  • Each weekend, activists picket outside the factory to raise awareness about workers' rights.

  • The teachers decided to picket outside the school to demand better pay and working conditions.

  • Meanwhile, Chicago teachers are picketing outside their schools today while classes are in session.

    Blog text (15)
  • In the late 1930s, he met his future wife, Blanche (Jewish), while both were picketing outside the North American Aviation Plant in Los Angeles.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Foggia: 1,000 students marched against austerity measures while workers with CGIL picketed outside the prefecture.

    Blog text (3)
  • Beginning in October 2008, representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 8 began to picket outside a Ralphs store on a sidewalk owned by Ralphs.

    Blog text (28)
  • Around the league, we were being scorned, from tweets and remarks from players like Joey Porter to the media and our own fanbase picketing outside the offices and hiring private propeller planes asking Stephen Ross to fire Ireland.

    Blog text (15)
  • Angry protesters are picketing outside the courthouse to express their opposition to the new law.

Synonyms

to protest
vsto picket outside
283 3.2

To show strong disagreement in public, often by joining a march or strike

is centered at a location to influence rather than only express objection
to demonstrate
vsto picket outside
74 3.2

Join a public protest to show strong opposition

is focused on a particular site to influence others
to take to the streets
vsto picket outside
  • Literature
49 4.1

To go outside in large numbers to protest

is focused on a single site to influence people
to protest against
vsto picket outside
40 3.6

To show in public that you strongly disagree with something

adds the physical site aim to influence or deter passersby
to hit the streets
vsto picket outside
16 6.1

Go out into public to take part in activities like protesting or selling things

is used at a site to influence or dissuade people
to picket
vsto picket outside
13 4.8

To stand or march outside a workplace to protest and stop people entering

is the same action but expressed as a two word phrase

How Active

to occupy
324 5.9
march
161 2.6
to picket outside
1 5.0
to block off
23 3.8

Surface Forms

picket outside infinitive
picketed outside past participle
picketing outside present participle
pickets outside third person singular

Morphology

picket + outside

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'picket' (to march or stand as a protest) with 'outside' (indicating location); the adverb simply specifies where the protesting action occurs. This follows a common verb + locative particle pattern that is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the phrase.

Etymology

Picket outside comes from the simple image of people forming a picket, standing or walking with signs in front of a building. By staying outside the door to show their 'protest' and influence others, the phrase now means 'to stand or march outside a place to protest'.