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)

Examples of countersuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Baldoni denied the allegations and filed countersuits against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 49, their publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. — Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026

Baldoni also filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in January 2025, alleging that the couple and their PR firm had defamed him and Wayfarer Studios. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026

In 2025, that anonymous woman filed a countersuit, alleging in turn that the Tates defamed her. — Kat Tenbarge, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2026

Lawyers for the unions filed a countersuit claiming the rail company can’t change the terms of the contract unilaterally, and asked the judge to force BNSF into arbitration before making any rule changes. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for countersuit

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute