huelga

strike (labor)

noun WEHL-gah Less Common

Usage Note

Huelga refers to a work stoppage or labor strike (ir a la huelga / hacer huelga — 'to go on strike'). The initial h is silent, so pronunciation begins with the 'w' sound. The phrase huelga de hambre means 'hunger strike'. Note that huelga is also an archaic third-person singular of holgar ('to be idle'), from which the labor sense derives.

Examples

"Los trabajadores convocaron una huelga general."

Natural Translation

The workers called a general strike.

Literal Translation

The workers convoked a strike general.

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