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

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.
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 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

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Cite this Entry

“Intifada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intifada. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

intifada

noun
in·​ti·​fa·​da ˌint-ə-ˈfäd-ə How to pronounce intifada (audio)
Etymology

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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