countersue

verb

coun·​ter·​sue ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsü 

variants or less commonly counter-sue

countersued also counter-sued also countersuing also counter-suing

transitive + intransitive

: to sue (someone) in return : to bring a counterclaim against someone

They were dissuaded from suing one another because they knew their target likely had patents that covered similar territory and they could be countersued quickly—the legal equivalent of mutually assured destruction.

—Steven Levy

Appellant countersued, alleging that respondent's interest charges were usurious and that he had breached his fiduciary duty to her.

—Peterson v. Gustafson, 584 N.W. 2d 660 (1998)

Examples of countersue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Constance countersued her daughter, claiming Leighton had promised to support her financially and owed her $10,000 a month. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Months later, Prejean sued Miss California USA officials, who countersued, and the two sides eventually dropped their lawsuits as part of a confidential settlement. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026

Exasperated, the Justice Department filed a formal discrimination suit, whereupon Cohn countersued the government for defamation, seeking a hundred million dollars in damages. — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Scorsese’s lawyers countersued, argued that Afram was a newcomer to the industry with unrealistic expectations. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for countersue

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou