countersuit

noun

coun·​ter·​suit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsüt 

variants or less commonly counter-suit

plural countersuits also counter-suits

: an opposing lawsuit

especially : a claim asserted by an opposing party in a lawsuit (such as a defendant) against the party bringing the original lawsuit (such as a plaintiff) : counterclaim

decided to file a countersuit against her accuser

The current appeal results from a patent infringement suit and countersuit between Apple Inc. ("Apple") and Samsung Electronics Co …

—Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016)

Examples of countersuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The countersuit also alleges that Gables shared his previous lawsuit with the media and that Smith’s reputation has been damaged by the defamatory claims, resulting in the rapper being dropped from two advertising campaigns. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025

His initial account of the June 2024 incident differed from hers in the recent countersuit. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 8 Oct. 2025

Polk was named as a defendant in NASCAR’s countersuit and was referenced in Friday night’s filing. —Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025

Luke denied all claims and filed a countersuit that same year. —Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for countersuit

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute