countersuit
noun
coun·ter·suit
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsüt 
variants
or less commonly counter-suit
plural countersuits also counter-suits
: an opposing lawsuit
especially
: a claim asserted by an opposing party in a lawsuit (such as a defendant) against the party bringing the original lawsuit (such as a plaintiff) : counterclaim
decided to file a countersuit against her accuser
The current appeal results from a patent infringement suit and countersuit between Apple Inc. ("Apple") and Samsung Electronics Co … —
Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016)
Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016) Examples of countersuit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The countersuit argues that failures by the contractors’ employees to flag Ruis as dangerous contributed to Yates’ death.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Baldoni quickly filed a countersuit and sued the New York Times for its reporting, but both of his lawsuits were later dismissed.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In October, the judge entered final judgment in the $400 million countersuit case from Baldoni and his codefendants, effectively terminating their January 2025 legal action against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and The New York Times.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
That countersuit was dismissed in June.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for countersuit
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Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Baldoni quickly filed a countersuit and sued the New York Times for its reporting, but both of his lawsuits were later dismissed.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In October, the judge entered final judgment in the $400 million countersuit case from Baldoni and his codefendants, effectively terminating their January 2025 legal action against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and The New York Times.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
That countersuit was dismissed in June.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for countersuit
Cite this Entry
“Countersuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countersuit. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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