countermeasure

noun

coun·​ter·​mea·​sure ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌme-zhər 

-ˌmā-

: an action or device designed to negate or offset another

The most well-known countermeasure by a physician is a malicious-persecution suit against the lawyer who sued him and failed to prove a case.

—William J. Curran

The Germans had developed a tricky magnetic mine, but the British had developed a countermeasure for this even before the mine was used.

—Bernard Brodie and Fawn M. Brodie

especially : electronic countermeasure

Examples of countermeasure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His work laid the foundation for public health countermeasures that spared millions early deaths from cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. —Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

By 2050, two-thirds of people around the world could see working-age populations (people between the ages of 20 and 64) diminish in their countries—a trend that stands to constrain economic potential in those countries in the absence of innovative adjustments and countermeasures. —Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024

Ukraine has no effective countermeasure for glide bombs, which are launched from Russian aircraft inside Russia. —Hanna Arhirova and Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024

The most effective countermeasure: AI-enabled defense moving at machine speed and scale. —Jamal Khan, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing countermeasure

• counter-countermeasure
• electronic countermeasure

Kids Definition

countermeasure

noun

coun·​ter·​mea·​sure ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌmezh-ər 

-ˌmāzh-

: an action or device designed to counteract another