countermeasure

noun

coun·​ter·​mea·​sure ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌme-zhər 

-ˌmā-

: an action or device designed to negate or offset another

The most well-known countermeasure by a physician is a malicious-persecution suit against the lawyer who sued him and failed to prove a case.

—William J. Curran

The Germans had developed a tricky magnetic mine, but the British had developed a countermeasure for this even before the mine was used.

—Bernard Brodie and Fawn M. Brodie

especially : electronic countermeasure

Examples of countermeasure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Faster mine countermeasure missions The demonstration expands on a 2025 integration exercise involving the SAMDIS 600 sonar and REMUS 620. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026

Supporters describe Question 3 as a necessary countermeasure. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 1 Nov. 2026

Opposition campaigns to the wealth tax as well as the two countermeasures have received enormous donations from several of the state’s billionaires. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

But as with Starlink, enemy countermeasures could also disrupt signals from these communications satellite services on modern battlefields. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing countermeasure

• counter-countermeasure
• electronic countermeasure

Rhymes for countermeasure

• displeasure
• leisure
• measure
• pleasure
• treasure

Kids Definition

countermeasure

noun

coun·​ter·​mea·​sure ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌmezh-ər 

-ˌmāzh-

: an action or device designed to counteract another