counterterrorism

noun

coun·​ter·​ter·​ror·​ism ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈter-ər-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce counterterrorism (audio)
variants or counter-terrorism
: measures designed to combat or prevent terrorism
an expert in counterterrorism
often used before another noun
a local counterterrorism council
new counter-terrorism policies/measures

Examples of counterterrorism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Cooperation included counterterrorism and anti-piracy efforts until 2014, when ties froze following events in Ukraine. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025 The Obama administration tried to narrow and regulate those powers by embedding counterterrorism within a system of legal rules and procedures. Melinda Haas, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025 Citing unnamed sources and a former counterterrorism investigator, writers for City Journal, a publication of the Manhattan Institute, claim that some money sent back from Minnesota to Somalia through informal networks likely would have benefited Al-Shabaab, which controls large swaths of Somalia. Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 2 Dec. 2025 Various members of the counterterrorism, law enforcement, and intelligence community perform vetting. CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for counterterrorism

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterterrorism was in 1864

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Cite this Entry

“Counterterrorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterterrorism. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

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