countersuit

noun

coun·​ter·​suit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsüt 

variants or less commonly counter-suit

plural countersuits also counter-suits

: an opposing lawsuit

especially : a claim asserted by an opposing party in a lawsuit (such as a defendant) against the party bringing the original lawsuit (such as a plaintiff) : counterclaim

decided to file a countersuit against her accuser

The current appeal results from a patent infringement suit and countersuit between Apple Inc. ("Apple") and Samsung Electronics Co …

—Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016)

Examples of countersuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a 2025 countersuit, Baldoni accused Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion. —Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026

Baldoni's countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion, has since been dismissed by the judge. —Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026

The countersuit argues that failures by the contractors’ employees to flag Ruis as dangerous contributed to Yates’ death. —Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

Baldoni filed countersuits, which have been dismissed. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for countersuit

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute