antifa

noun

an·​ti·​fa an-ˈtē-fə How to pronounce antifa (audio)
ˈan-tē-ˌfä
variants or less commonly Antifa
1
: a person or group actively opposing fascism
The groups … prominently featured about 100 Christian ministers in clerical garb, angry Charlottesville residents, peace advocates, Black Lives Matter activists, and self-styled anti-fascists who call themselves "antifas" …Peter Weber
After the war, Antifas varied in size and composition across the former Reich, now divided into four zones of occupation, and developed in interaction with the local occupying power.Loren Balhorn
2
: an anti-fascist movement
Antifa is the backlash to the backlash, a defensive response to the growing presence of right-wing extremism.Todd Gitlin
antifa adjective
antifa protesters

Examples of antifa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Mohn says his father was a federal employee for 20 years and refers to him as a traitor, calling for the death of all federal officials and attacking President Joe Biden's administration, the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBTQ community and antifa activists. Tom Winter, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024 The Proud Boys’ only plans that day were to protest the election and confront left-wing antifa activists, attorney Sabino Jauregui told the judge. Michael Kunzelman, Lindsay Whitehurst, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Sep. 2023 The study found that 17 percent of Republicans believed the false narrative pushed by The Washington Times, Gaetz, and Ingraham: The destruction of the Capitol was not due to Trump supporters but was instead the clandestine work of groups like antifa or Black Lives Matter. Alex Thomas, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2023 By antifa, Stutts was referring to the far-left, anti-facist activists whom Donald Trump blamed for the protests against racial injustice across America in 2020. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Jan. 2024 Some have alleged that anti-Trump antifa instigated the riot or that police were complicit in the building breach, fueling calls for the release of Capitol surveillance footage from that day that in turn re-energized claims of FBI involvement. Scott Clement, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2024 Briggs cited, in part, Stephan’s campaign material from 2018 that vilified antifa as a public safety threat and linked the group to George Soros, a billionaire liberal activist and a favorite target of conservative ire who donated money to support Stephan’s opponent. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Nov. 2023 On Wednesday, a nearly identical demonstration played out in Seattle, Washington, as members of the city's antifa stormed the city's downtown and broke store windows. Joseph Simonson, Washington Examiner, 22 Jan. 2021 Authorities have not alleged that the attack had anything to do with antifa — a broad, anti-fascist movement without any clear hierarchy. Tom Steele, Dallas News, 10 June 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antifa.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Antifa, short for antifaschistisch "anti-fascist," in Antifaschistische Aktion (multiparty front initiated by the German Communist Party in 1932 to counter Nazism) and in other collocations

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of antifa was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near antifa

Cite this Entry

“Antifa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antifa. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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