as in complaint
a court case brought against the plaintiff of another court case by the defendant
The defendant filed a counterclaim for his own injuries, claiming that he only rear-ended the plaintiff because she had stopped too fast.
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Recent Examples of counterclaim
Even so, a win is a win for NASCAR at this early stage of the counterclaim litigation.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 June 2025
The verdict came on June 1, 2022: Depp won his defamation claims, and Heard won one of her three counterclaims.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 June 2025
Davis said in his press conference that a counterclaim will be filed on behalf of Sharpe.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Instead of responding to the claims through a spokesperson, NASCAR referred The Charlotte Observer to comments made by Chris Yates, the sanctioning body’s lawyer, earlier this month after the counterclaims were filed.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 June 2025
The verdict came on June 1, 2022: Depp won his defamation claims, and Heard won one of her three counterclaims.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 June 2025
Davis said in his press conference that a counterclaim will be filed on behalf of Sharpe.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Instead of responding to the claims through a spokesperson, NASCAR referred The Charlotte Observer to comments made by Chris Yates, the sanctioning body’s lawyer, earlier this month after the counterclaims were filed.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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Gables went to the hospital and filed a police report, per the complaint.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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But the Tribune reported last month that Johnson’s administration delayed signing an agreement to resolve the federal complaint.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Both lawsuits were settled, according to court filings.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
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In its motion, the federal government laid out the timeline for its decision to join the lawsuit.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Their litigation said that the exchange violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment's religious rights protections and two environmental laws.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Plastics Technology Readiness Matrix Preserving Social License to Operate As global awareness of environmental justice rises, companies that proactively address community siting, health impacts, and international waste flows will preserve operating licenses and avoid costly litigation.—
Trond Arne Undheim,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In June, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, which alleged extortion, defamation and more.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin's $400 million countersuit against Lively, 37, Reynolds, 48, and their publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as his $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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