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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Jabalia camp, viewed as a Hamas stronghold and site of the beginning of the second intifada, followed this pattern and has now been completely destroyed by the Israeli army.
—Shelly Culbertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Before Oslo, the first intifada had generated momentum for international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The second intifada, ignited by the provocative visit of the Israeli politician (and future prime minister) Ariel Sharon to the Holy Esplanade in Jerusalem in September 2000, still burned.
—Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2025
Barghouti has spent more than 20 years in prison and is serving five life sentences after his 2004 conviction for the murder of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
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Shelly Culbertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Before Oslo, the first intifada had generated momentum for international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The second intifada, ignited by the provocative visit of the Israeli politician (and future prime minister) Ariel Sharon to the Holy Esplanade in Jerusalem in September 2000, still burned.
—Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2025
Barghouti has spent more than 20 years in prison and is serving five life sentences after his 2004 conviction for the murder of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 10 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 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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