counterprotest

noun

coun·​ter·​pro·​test ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌprō-ˌtest How to pronounce counterprotest (audio)
variants or counter-protest
plural counterprotests or counter-protests
: a protest staged to counter or oppose another protest
A rally … got heated Saturday afternoon. Police stepped in to help de-escalate tensions after a counterprotest emerged …Colleen MacDonald
counterprotester noun
or counter-protester
plural counterprotesters or counter-protesters
Standing near the back of the crowd at yesterday's rally were about a dozen counterprotesters Sue Young Wilson
Nazis may still march, but they are inevitably outnumbered by counter-protesters. Ellis Cose

Examples of counterprotest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The episode ends with Larry standing frozen between two sides of a demonstration: a mob of Jews, led by an irate Susie, protesting the restaurant’s new location next door to a Jewish deli and an equally angry Palestinian counterprotest led by Shara. TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 There have been hundreds of protests and counterprotests on college campuses, with some of them turning violent. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2024 At a counterprotest the following morning, James Alex Fields Jr. rammed a car into a crowd, killing one person and injuring 35. Shane Harris, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023 By late August, IATSE member Joyce Heftel was also making noise and staging counterprotests to hammer SAG and AFTRA on settling the strike. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 Sep. 2023 In Tel Aviv, thousands of pro-government marchers gathered in a counterprotest Sunday, attempting to block a major highway. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 23 July 2023 In fact, in some respects the biggest concrete resistance the occupiers have faced to date has come not from law enforcement but from ordinary citizens who over the weekend organized a counterprotest, getting out the word over Facebook pages normally concerned with dog-walking and barbecues. New York Times, 13 Feb. 2022 Several hundred people attended the right-wing rally in support of law enforcement and a counterprotest near the Multnomah County Justice Center, including members of the Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter activists. oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2020 There have also been smaller pro-reform counterprotests, mostly in Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a perennially volatile area partly administered by the Palestinian National Authority but effectively controlled by Israel's military. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 2 May 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterprotest was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near counterprotest

Cite this Entry

“Counterprotest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterprotest. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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