counterstrike

noun

coun·​ter·​strike ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌstrīk 

variants or counter-strike

plural counterstrikes or counter-strikes

: a strike that retaliates against or counters earlier strike : a return strike

government counterstrikes against the rebel stronghold

… the belief on both sides that any attack would be met with an equally devastating counterstrike.

—W. J. Hennigan and Brian Bennett

Synonyms

• counterassault
• counterattack
• counteroffensive
• counterpunch

Examples of counterstrike in a Sentence

after countless strikes and counterstrikes, the positions of both armies remained essentially unchanged

Recent Examples on the Web

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, had nothing to say about Israel’s apparent counterstrike, nor about U.S. intelligence in the region — unlike Kirby. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2024

In the past year and a half, Japan has made significant reforms to its national security and defense strategies and has committed to buying U.S. Tomahawk missiles and building its own counterstrike capability. —Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

But the uptick in militia attacks and the scale of U.S. counterstrikes – which sparked outrage among Iraqi officials – have effectively stalled U.S.-Iraqi talks underway prior to Oct. 7 that were progressing toward a long-term American withdrawal plan. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Feb. 2024

The French government, which has offered its support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed over 1,400 people, organized the conference after Israeli counterstrikes left thousands displaced, wounded or dead. —James Hookway, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above