counterattack
noun
coun·ter·at·tack
ˈkau̇n-tər-ə-ˌtak 
variants
or counter-attack
plural counterattacks or counter-attacks
: an attack made in response to or in defense against an attack made by another
a series of attacks and counterattacks
Iraqi forces are advancing into the city of Fallujah, repelling a counter-attack by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) on Tuesday …—
Jack Moore
Jack Moore
counterattack
verb, transitive + intransitive
or counter-attack
counterattacked or counter-attacked; counterattacking or counter-attacking
Syrian rebels including jihadists counter-attacked the army and its allies on Friday aiming to break a weeks-long siege on eastern Aleppo, insurgents said.
—Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall
Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall
counterattacker
noun
or counter-attacker
plural counterattackers or counter-attackers
Finally, the big man, bleeding profusely, succeeded in throwing his counterattacker off him.
—Andrew M. Greeley
Andrew M. Greeley
Examples of counterattack in a Sentence
suddenly the tide of battle turned, and the rebels, who had been falling back, made a furious counterattack
Recent Examples on the Web
And yet, these counterattacks may be ensnaring scientists in a catch-22.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
Some Democrats have praised the posts as humorous and a necessary counterattack, while many Republicans have criticized them as cringy, unfunny, and inauthentic.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
In a larger invasion, like the one envisioned in Hedgehog, NATO forces would likely choose to cede ground and try to hold defensible positions until reinforcements arrived—presuming Article 5 had been triggered—and mount a counterattack.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
In the almost two years since, Israel has unleashed a devastating counterattack in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people, many of whom were children.
—Robert Birsel
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
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Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
Some Democrats have praised the posts as humorous and a necessary counterattack, while many Republicans have criticized them as cringy, unfunny, and inauthentic.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
In a larger invasion, like the one envisioned in Hedgehog, NATO forces would likely choose to cede ground and try to hold defensible positions until reinforcements arrived—presuming Article 5 had been triggered—and mount a counterattack.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
In the almost two years since, Israel has unleashed a devastating counterattack in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people, many of whom were children.
—Robert Birsel
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
Cite this Entry
“Counterattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterattack. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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