intifada

noun

in·​ti·​fa·​da ˌin-tə-ˈfä-də How to pronounce intifada (audio)
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
… 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

Examples of intifada in a Sentence

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In the second intifada, Israel endured a staggering 138 suicide bombings, including 53 just in 2002, in addition to thousands of shootings and other less lethal forms of attack. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025 This is what the globalized intifada looks like: a celebration of violence dressed as justice, and a willful blindness to the cost of extremism. — Margaux Chetrit, Sun Sentinel, 23 July 2025 Mamdani strongly criticized the Israel amid the Gaza war and has been criticized for comments around the term intifada. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 July 2025 The person who threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators attending a march for Israeli hostages in Colorado last month: that’s what globalizing the intifada looks like. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for intifada

Word History

Etymology

Arabic intifāḍa, literally, the act of shaking off

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intifada was in 1985

Rhymes for intifada

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Browse Nearby Words

Intichiuma
intifada
intil
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Cite this Entry

“Intifada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intifada. Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.

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Kids Definition

Etymology

Arabic intifāda, literally, "the act of shaking off"

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