1
2
a
: an act of occupying seats in a racially segregated establishment in organized protest against discrimination
b
: an act of sitting in the seats or on the floor of an establishment as a means of organized protest
sat in; sitting in; sits in
1
: to take part in or be present at a session of music or discussion as a visitor
—often used with on
invited to sit in on a rehearsal
2
: to participate in a sit-in
Examples of sit-in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Perez, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Demonstrations, sit-ins, and university divestment campaigns targeted America’s complicity.
—Time, 22 May 2025
Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Cuomo endured the attacks with the good cheer of a man sitting in the dentist’s chair.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sit-in
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
That account featured photos of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who served as Egypt’s president from 2012 to 2013, when he was ousted in a military coup that triggered mass protests and sit-ins in Cairo.
—Evan Perez, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Demonstrations, sit-ins, and university divestment campaigns targeted America’s complicity.
—Time, 22 May 2025
Verb
What initiatives have been sitting in purgatory for months—or quarters—because no one wants to pull the trigger?
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Cuomo endured the attacks with the good cheer of a man sitting in the dentist’s chair.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sit-in
Cite this Entry
“Sit-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sit-in. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share