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 nouna local counterterrorism council
new counter-terrorism policies/measures
Examples of counterterrorism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
American counterterrorism specialists on Sunday dismissed the Kremlin’s suggestion that Ukraine was behind Friday’s attack near Moscow.
—
Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
More attacks may be coming, counterterrorism officials warn.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
We're joined now by CBS contributor Samantha Vinograd, a former counterterrorism official for the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden and serving in the Obama administration.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
But Mike German, a former FBI agent who has accused the bureau of conducting excessive surveillance of Muslim Americans, said counterterrorism experts’ practice of linking anti-Israel protesters to terrorist groups is fraught.
—Simone Weichselbaum, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
By August 2020, more than 10,000 Islamic State fighters were estimated to still be active in Iraq and Syria, U.N. counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said at the time.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
The Israeli military will then operate in the territory for an indefinite period on a counterterrorism mission, assume greater control along the border with Egypt and deradicalize the population.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
In May, Russia alleged that dozens of Ukrainian militants crossed into one of its border towns in the Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before more than 70 of the attackers were killed or pushed back by what the authorities termed a counterterrorism operation.
—Jim Heintz and Hanna Arhirova, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Critics say the Israeli government has enabled and even encouraged such attacks, while Israel says most deaths in the West Bank are not settler-related but instead can be attributed to security forces carrying out counterterrorism raids against militants.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2024
Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
More attacks may be coming, counterterrorism officials warn.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
We're joined now by CBS contributor Samantha Vinograd, a former counterterrorism official for the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden and serving in the Obama administration.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2024
But Mike German, a former FBI agent who has accused the bureau of conducting excessive surveillance of Muslim Americans, said counterterrorism experts’ practice of linking anti-Israel protesters to terrorist groups is fraught.
—Simone Weichselbaum, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
By August 2020, more than 10,000 Islamic State fighters were estimated to still be active in Iraq and Syria, U.N. counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said at the time.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
The Israeli military will then operate in the territory for an indefinite period on a counterterrorism mission, assume greater control along the border with Egypt and deradicalize the population.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024
In May, Russia alleged that dozens of Ukrainian militants crossed into one of its border towns in the Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before more than 70 of the attackers were killed or pushed back by what the authorities termed a counterterrorism operation.
—Jim Heintz and Hanna Arhirova, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Critics say the Israeli government has enabled and even encouraged such attacks, while Israel says most deaths in the West Bank are not settler-related but instead can be attributed to security forces carrying out counterterrorism raids against militants.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterterrorism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Counterterrorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterterrorism. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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