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 noun

a local counterterrorism council

new counter-terrorism policies/measures

Examples of counterterrorism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier Sunday, Israeli troops carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir. — Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026

Most of the dead were counterterrorism police officers, as seven attackers tried to storm the Kohat facility, sparking hours of gunfire and a suicide blast at an intelligence office. — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

For years, the fixation on Islamist terror shaped a culture drenched in fear, as voices from politics, the media, civil society, and a swelling counterterrorism-industrial complex insisted that the country faced an existential threat. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

The Department of Homeland Security, many state anti-terrorism laws and billions of dollars in state and local counterterrorism funding all are post-9/11 creations. — Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterterrorism

• absolutism
• adventurism
• aestheticism
• africanism
• agnosticism
• alcoholism
• anachronism
• anglicanism
• antagonism
• arianism
• asceticism
• astigmatism