hunger-strike
Definition
Noun: A "hunger-strike" is a form of protest in which a person refuses to eat for a prolonged period, often to draw attention to a cause or to demand a change in policy or conditions.
Verb (intransitive): To "hunger-strike" means to engage in a hunger strike; to refuse food as a form of protest.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The prisoner began a hunger-strike to protest against inhumane conditions. (A refusal to eat as a protest.)
- Many political activists have used hunger-strikes to demand democratic reforms. (Prolonged fasting as a protest tactic.)
Verb:
- He decided to hunger-strike until the government addressed the issue. (To refuse food in protest.)
- The detainees have been hunger-striking for over a week. (Engaging in a hunger strike.)
Advanced Usage
"to go on a hunger-strike": to start a hunger strike.
- After the unfair trial, she went on a hunger-strike for three weeks. (She began refusing food as a protest.)
"to end a hunger-strike": to stop refusing food.
- The union leaders called off the hunger-strike after negotiations resumed. (They stopped the protest fast.)
Variants and Related Words
Hunger-striker (noun): a person who participates in a hunger strike.
- The hunger-strikers were monitored by medical staff. (People refusing food in protest.)
Hunger-striking (adjective/verb form): engaging in a hunger strike.
- The hunger-striking activists remained determined. (Those currently refusing food.)
Synonyms
- Fasting protest: a protest involving voluntary abstinence from food.
- Food refusal: the act of not eating as a form of demonstration.
Related Idioms
- "Starve for justice": a metaphorical phrase meaning to suffer extreme deprivation for a cause, similar to a hunger strike.
- They were willing to starve for justice, refusing food until their demands were met. (To undergo hardship for a principle.)
Note: There are no common phrasal verbs or idioms directly using "hunger-strike." The term is typically used as a compound noun or verb in formal contexts.