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

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Monday that Japan would take necessary countermeasures after thoroughly assessing the curbs and their impact. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

Several countermeasures aimed at overturning or weakening the billionaire tax have also made the November ballot. — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 26 June 2026

For decades, humans mined antibiotic molecules from microbes and tweaked them to develop new drugs, staying ahead of evolution’s cunning countermeasures. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026

It can be used for ocean research, environmental monitoring, mapping the seabed, inspecting offshore energy sites, search-and-rescue, and mine countermeasures. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 17 June 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