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

Awarded under the Autonomous Remote Command Centre (RCC) contract, this initial £10 million investment marks the first stage of a programme which has scope to grow to up to £100 million to deliver next-generation mine countermeasures capability for the Royal Navy. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026

The Administration also scaled back mRNA vaccine projects aimed at advancing the development of countermeasures for public health emergencies, halting 22 projects worth nearly $500 million that involved contracts with major pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna and Pfizer. —Connor Greene, Time, 1 Jan. 2026

The treaty includes provisions for data sharing, access to medical countermeasures and technology transfer to poorer countries. —New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025

Belgium has also insisted on protection against any countermeasures Russia may take against Euroclear’s assets in Russia and beyond. —Olesya Dmitracova, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025

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