counterprotest
noun
coun·ter·pro·test
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌprō-ˌtest 
variants
or counter-protest
plural counterprotests or counter-protests
: a protest staged to counter or oppose another protest
A rally … got heated Saturday afternoon. Police stepped in to help de-escalate tensions after a counterprotest emerged …—
Colleen MacDonald
Colleen MacDonald
counterprotester
noun
or counter-protester
plural counterprotesters or counter-protesters
Standing near the back of the crowd at yesterday's rally were about a dozen counterprotesters …
—Sue Young Wilson
Sue Young Wilson
Nazis may still march, but they are inevitably outnumbered by counter-protesters.
—Ellis Cose
Ellis Cose
Examples of counterprotest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At Columbia University, the veteran photojournalist and faculty member Nina Berman turned the lens on her own campus, chronicling the protests and counterprotests that erupted over the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), individuals may not block access to sidewalks or buildings, disrupt counterprotests, or engage in speech that is obscene, makes knowingly false statements of fact, or incites immediate violence or dangerous disturbances.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Some people appeared to buy tickets as a counterprotest.
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Bass, in the Fox 11 interview, also questioned why the university allowed the counterprotest to take place next to the pro-Palestinian encampment, which had been largely peaceful until then.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for counterprotest
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The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), individuals may not block access to sidewalks or buildings, disrupt counterprotests, or engage in speech that is obscene, makes knowingly false statements of fact, or incites immediate violence or dangerous disturbances.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Some people appeared to buy tickets as a counterprotest.
—Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Bass, in the Fox 11 interview, also questioned why the university allowed the counterprotest to take place next to the pro-Palestinian encampment, which had been largely peaceful until then.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for counterprotest
Cite this Entry
“Counterprotest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterprotest. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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