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
Such tactics are designed to improve strike effectiveness against targets while also increasing survivability by complicating an adversary’s ability to neutralize launch units during a counterattack.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026
Belgium dominated possession in the first 60 minutes, but Iran still had a strong counterattack that was repeatedly thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who matched Beiranvand's results, if not his theatricality.
—ABC News, 21 June 2026
In the 10th minute, Neil El Aynaoui pilfered the ball from Ryan Christie, then nearly capitalized on the ensuing counterattack, finding free space in front of an open net but overrunning Azzedine Ounahi’s cross.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026
Switzerland more than doubled Bosnia and Herzegovina’s possession in the first half, but did little with it as their fellow UEFA opponent defended with numbers in hopes of pouncing on counterattacks.
—Josh Gross, Oc Register, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026
Belgium dominated possession in the first 60 minutes, but Iran still had a strong counterattack that was repeatedly thwarted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who matched Beiranvand's results, if not his theatricality.
—ABC News, 21 June 2026
In the 10th minute, Neil El Aynaoui pilfered the ball from Ryan Christie, then nearly capitalized on the ensuing counterattack, finding free space in front of an open net but overrunning Azzedine Ounahi’s cross.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026
Switzerland more than doubled Bosnia and Herzegovina’s possession in the first half, but did little with it as their fellow UEFA opponent defended with numbers in hopes of pouncing on counterattacks.
—Josh Gross, Oc Register, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
Cite this Entry
“Counterattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterattack. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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