countersue
verb
coun·ter·sue
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsü 
variants
or less commonly counter-sue
countersued also counter-sued also countersuing also counter-suing
: to sue (someone) in return : to bring a counterclaim against someone
They were dissuaded from suing one another because they knew their target likely had patents that covered similar territory and they could be countersued quickly—the legal equivalent of mutually assured destruction.—
Steven Levy
Steven LevyAppellant countersued, alleging that respondent's interest charges were usurious and that he had breached his fiduciary duty to her.—Peterson v. Gustafson, 584 N.W. 2d 660 (1998)
Peterson v. Gustafson, 584 N.W. 2d 660 (1998)Examples of countersue in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The owners countersued before both cases were dropped.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Busta Rhymes has countersued his former assistant who accused the rapper of punching him while at work.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Trinity, a Christian broadcaster that agreed to distribute Merit TV beginning in early 2024, countersued Merit Street Media after the bankruptcy filing, saying McGraw failed to deliver on viewership (Merit Street typically averaged under 100,000 viewers per day) and ad revenue targets.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
Baldoni denied all allegations and countersued the actress and Reynolds, as well as the New York Times, which first published the news of her suit.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for countersue
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Busta Rhymes has countersued his former assistant who accused the rapper of punching him while at work.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2025
Trinity, a Christian broadcaster that agreed to distribute Merit TV beginning in early 2024, countersued Merit Street Media after the bankruptcy filing, saying McGraw failed to deliver on viewership (Merit Street typically averaged under 100,000 viewers per day) and ad revenue targets.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
Baldoni denied all allegations and countersued the actress and Reynolds, as well as the New York Times, which first published the news of her suit.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for countersue
Cite this Entry
“Countersue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countersue. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share