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
For its part, the Ukrainian military has claimed to have recovered some 70 square miles of territory in the Pokrovsk area over the past two months, in a series of counterattacks.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
The officer recalled that they had been ordered to ready themselves for a counterattack.
—Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The toll of German resistance and counterattack on the Allied combat units was enormous.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
Ukraine’s use of Tomahawks — subsonic cruise missiles that can strike targets from 1,000 miles away —would give the country the ability to ramp up its counterattacks on Russia.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
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Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
The officer recalled that they had been ordered to ready themselves for a counterattack.
—Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The toll of German resistance and counterattack on the Allied combat units was enormous.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
Ukraine’s use of Tomahawks — subsonic cruise missiles that can strike targets from 1,000 miles away —would give the country the ability to ramp up its counterattacks on Russia.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2025.
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