counterdemonstration

noun

coun·​ter·​dem·​on·​stra·​tion ˌkau̇n-tər-ˌde-mən-ˈstrā-shən How to pronounce counterdemonstration (audio)
variants or counter-demonstration
plural counterdemonstrations or counter-demonstrations
: a demonstration (see demonstration sense 4) occurring in opposition to another demonstration
… CBS turned its attention to a demonstration in Manhattan against the government's Vietnam policy, with a counterdemonstration of pickets screaming that the protesters were disloyal.William E. Leuchtenburg

Examples of counterdemonstration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And knowing that these neo-Nazis intend to show up during Pride month, activists hope that their celebratory counterdemonstrations and diversion measures may be enough to deter, humiliate, and push them out, one town at a time. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 31 May 2023 Dolloff is a security guard who was contracted through Pinkerton by CNN affiliate KUSA to accompany its reporting staff to a police support rally and a counterdemonstration, the station said in a statement. Steve Almasy and Andy Rose, CNN, 15 Oct. 2020 The protests have drawn fierce and vocal counterdemonstrations and a substantial police presence of about 12-20 officers. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2023 In Efrat, a group of 20 young men and teenagers gathered on the pavement opposite the anti-government protest, trying to drown out the protesters with a counterdemonstration of their own. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2023 That Thursday, plainclothes police could be seen corralling Cairo residents into taking part in a pro-Sisi counterdemonstration. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2022 The counterdemonstration, which was focused on the anti-trans protesters, repeatedly criticized police for their handling of the protests. John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2022 Portland Detective Erik Kammerer did not have probable cause to direct officers to arrest a woman for spitting on the ground in front of a police riot control van during a downtown protest and counterdemonstration in 2019, a federal judge has ruled. oregonlive, 4 May 2022 Dolloff was a security guard who was contracted through Pinkerton by CNN affiliate KUSA to accompany its reporting staff to a police support rally and a counterdemonstration, the station said in 2020. Hannah Sarisohn. Cnn, CNN, 11 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterdemonstration was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near counterdemonstration

Cite this Entry

“Counterdemonstration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterdemonstration. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on counterdemonstration

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!