intifada
noun
in·ti·fa·da
ˌin-tə-ˈfä-də 
plural intifadas
: uprising, rebellion
specifically
: an armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
I was a college student at Tufts University in December 1987, when the first Palestinian intifada began. —
Hady Amr
Hady Amr … in 2000, the second intifada struck with the force of an earthquake. As Palestinians fought Israeli troops, the West Bank became all but ungovernable. —Karen E. Lange
Karen E. Lange Examples of intifada in a Sentence
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In 1989 and 1990, the George H.W. Bush Administration promoted negotiations to end the first intifada — a Palestinian uprising that erupted in 1987 — on a land-for-peace basis.
—Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Some analysts later concluded that Palestinians’ use of force in the first intifada may have contributed to Israel’s support for peace and dovish governments.
—Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2023
Israel has, in fact, never faced so much ambivalence about military service on the part of its reservists—not even during its politically controversial 1982 war in Lebanon or during the second intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2006.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2025
Most of them were imprisoned during the first and second intifadas, uprisings by Palestinians against Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
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Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Some analysts later concluded that Palestinians’ use of force in the first intifada may have contributed to Israel’s support for peace and dovish governments.
—Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2023
Israel has, in fact, never faced so much ambivalence about military service on the part of its reservists—not even during its politically controversial 1982 war in Lebanon or during the second intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2006.
—Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 7 Apr. 2025
Most of them were imprisoned during the first and second intifadas, uprisings by Palestinians against Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intifada
Cite this Entry
“Intifada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intifada. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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intifada
noun
in·ti·fa·da
ˌint-ə-ˈfäd-ə
Etymology
Arabic intifāda, literally, "the act of shaking off"
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