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 of counterstrike

• counterattack

Examples of counterstrike in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

In a direct counterstrike, California Democrats successfully passed Proposition 50, suspending their nonpartisan redistricting commission and moving to shift five seats into the Democratic column. —Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

That triggered an Israeli counterstrike in Gaza. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025

Both parties understood that a first strike by one side would be matched by an equally destructive counterstrike by the other. —Iain Boyd, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025

America's leadership has less than half an hour to decide whether to order a massive nuclear counterstrike. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterstrike

• businesslike
• ladylike
• motorbike
• workmanlike
• alike
• belike
• birdlike
• catlike
• childlike
• christlike
• deathlike
• dislike