counteroffer

noun

coun·​ter·​of·​fer ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌȯ-fər 

-ˌä-fər

: a return offer made by one who has rejected an offer

Examples of counteroffer in a Sentence

He turned down the deal and came back with a counteroffer asking for more money.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two sides have been trading proposals in recent days, with the latest counteroffer coming from Democrats last week. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

Netflix has four days to make a counteroffer in the event Paramount puts forward a higher bid. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026

Democrats sent a counteroffer to Republicans and the White House yesterday to fund the Department of Homeland Security as the partial government shutdown entered its third day. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026

The White House sent an initial counteroffer to a Democratic proposal last week. —Garrett Downs,justin Papp, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counteroffer

• coffer
• offer
• proffer
• scoffer

Legal Definition

counteroffer

noun

coun·​ter·​of·​fer ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌȯ-fər 

: an offer that is made in response to another and that has additional or differing terms

Note: Under common law, a counteroffer does not constitute an acceptance of an offer and is often considered a rejection of the offer.

counteroffer intransitive verb