counterprotest
noun
coun·ter·pro·test
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌprō-ˌtest 
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
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
Sue Young Wilson
Nazis may still march, but they are inevitably outnumbered by counter-protesters.
—Ellis Cose
Ellis Cose
Examples of counterprotest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His group supported the Apopka event with de-escalators — people trained to help reduce the intensity of a situation — in the event of counterprotests.
—Kairi Lowery, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
After Tuesday’s counterprotests, McMaher said they were notified about several drag storytime events in Chicagoland that were being threatened, including one in Edgewater on Monday.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
For each of these high-profile weekends, police and security officials are on alert for any sort of counterprotest or attempts to disrupt the proceedings.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
On the opposite side, the anti-Tesla group — which moved up its protest to 10 a.m. from its normal noon start in anticipation of the counterprotest — had more than 200 at its peak.
—Nathaniel Levine, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterprotest
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.
Kairi Lowery, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
After Tuesday’s counterprotests, McMaher said they were notified about several drag storytime events in Chicagoland that were being threatened, including one in Edgewater on Monday.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2025
For each of these high-profile weekends, police and security officials are on alert for any sort of counterprotest or attempts to disrupt the proceedings.
—Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
On the opposite side, the anti-Tesla group — which moved up its protest to 10 a.m. from its normal noon start in anticipation of the counterprotest — had more than 200 at its peak.
—Nathaniel Levine, Sacbee.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterprotest
Cite this Entry
“Counterprotest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterprotest. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share