counterpart
noun
coun·ter·part
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌpärt 
1
: one of two corresponding copies of a legal instrument : duplicate
2
a
: a thing that fits another perfectly
b
: something that completes : complement
the lead actress and her male counterpart
3
a
: one remarkably similar to another
The crow is sometimes mistaken for its larger counterpart, the raven.
b
: one having the same function or characteristics as another
college presidents and their counterparts in business
Examples of counterpart in a Sentence
The secretary of defense met with his counterparts in Asia to discuss the nuclear crisis.
Metal tools replaced their stone counterparts many, many years ago.
the lead actress and her male counterpart
Recent Examples on the Web
Mirroring their onscreen counterparts, Snow takes a highly analytical approach to her craft, while Akerman relies more on instinct.
—
Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
The two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner succeeded his French counterpart in 2014 as head coach of Ivory Coast following its group stage exit at the World Cup.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
That said, streaming films continued to star BIPOC leads more often than their theatrical counterparts, the study found.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Musk’s Grok models have historically underperformed their counterparts on coding tasks, but Cursor’s vast swaths of data will help SpaceX mount formidable competition to Anthropic and OpenAI.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterpart
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Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
The two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner succeeded his French counterpart in 2014 as head coach of Ivory Coast following its group stage exit at the World Cup.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
That said, streaming films continued to star BIPOC leads more often than their theatrical counterparts, the study found.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Musk’s Grok models have historically underperformed their counterparts on coding tasks, but Cursor’s vast swaths of data will help SpaceX mount formidable competition to Anthropic and OpenAI.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterpart
Cite this Entry
“Counterpart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterpart. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
counterpart
noun
coun·ter·part
ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌpärt
1
: a part or thing that matches another
the left arm is the counterpart of the right
2
: something that serves to complete something else : complement
3
: a person closely resembling another
Legal Definition
counterpart
noun
coun·ter·part
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌpärt
: one of two corresponding or duplicate copies of a legal instrument
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