counterterrorism
noun
coun·ter·ter·ror·ism
ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈter-ər-ˌi-zəm 
variants
or counter-terrorism
: measures designed to combat or prevent terrorism
an expert in counterterrorism
—often used before another nouna local counterterrorism council
new counter-terrorism policies/measures
Examples of counterterrorism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An Australian counterterrorism force announced the arrests Wednesday of seven male teenagers who reportedly have links to a 16-year-old charged with stabbing an Assyrian church bishop during a livestreamed mass outside of Sydney.
—
Greg Norman, Fox News, 24 Apr. 2024
Many countries rejected the ICRC’s guidance, including the United States and the United Kingdom, which came up with their own rules for their counterterrorism campaigns in the Middle East.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and detained in raids in the West Bank, which Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations against Hamas and other armed groups.
—Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Intelligence officials, though, have warned a warrant amendment would cripple a program relied upon for counterterrorism.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Douglas London, a former senior CIA officer who specialized in counterterrorism, said Russia has not prioritized the ISIS threat emanating from this region.
—Niha Masih, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
From 2021 to 2023 − the first three years of the Biden administration − the U.S. military carried out counterterrorism operations in 78 countries.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Robert Bunker, a counterterrorism researcher and former U.S. Army War College professor, said the videos purporting to show Haitian gang members reminded him of similar videos that drug cartels distributed in Mexico as a form of psychological warfare and intimidation.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
American counterterrorism specialists on Sunday dismissed the Kremlin’s suggestion that Ukraine was behind Friday’s attack near Moscow.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Greg Norman, Fox News, 24 Apr. 2024
Many countries rejected the ICRC’s guidance, including the United States and the United Kingdom, which came up with their own rules for their counterterrorism campaigns in the Middle East.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and detained in raids in the West Bank, which Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations against Hamas and other armed groups.
—Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Intelligence officials, though, have warned a warrant amendment would cripple a program relied upon for counterterrorism.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Douglas London, a former senior CIA officer who specialized in counterterrorism, said Russia has not prioritized the ISIS threat emanating from this region.
—Niha Masih, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
From 2021 to 2023 − the first three years of the Biden administration − the U.S. military carried out counterterrorism operations in 78 countries.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Robert Bunker, a counterterrorism researcher and former U.S. Army War College professor, said the videos purporting to show Haitian gang members reminded him of similar videos that drug cartels distributed in Mexico as a form of psychological warfare and intimidation.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
American counterterrorism specialists on Sunday dismissed the Kremlin’s suggestion that Ukraine was behind Friday’s attack near Moscow.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterterrorism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near counterterrorism
Cite this Entry
“Counterterrorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterterrorism. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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