picket

(pik′it)

noun

a stake or slat, usually pointed, used as an upright in a fence, a hitching post for animals, a marker, etc.
a group of soldiers or a single soldier stationed, usually at an outpost, to guard a body of troops from surprise attack
a ship or airplane that patrols a defense perimeter
a person, as a member of a labor union on strike, stationed outside a factory, store, or public building, often carrying a sign, to demonstrate opposition to certain views or practices, keep strikebreakers from entering, or dissuade people from buying

Origin: Fr piquet < piquer, to pierce < pic, pike

transitive verb

intransitive verb

to serve as a picket (sense )

Related Forms:

See picket in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A pointed stake often driven into the ground to support a fence, secure a tent, tether animals, mark points in surveying, or, when pointed at the top, serve as a defense.
A detachment of one or more troops, ships, or aircraft held in readiness or advanced to warn of an enemy's approach: “The outlying sonar picket᠁ was to detect, localize, and engage any submarine trying to close the convoy” (Tom Clancy).
a. A person or group of persons stationed outside a place of employment, usually during a strike, to express grievance or protest and discourage entry by nonstriking employees or customers.
b. A person or group of persons present outside a building to protest.

verb pick·et·ed, pick·et·ing, pick·ets

verb, transitive