counterclaim

Definition of counterclaimnext
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.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of counterclaim The counterclaim alleges violation of the First Amendment, due process and the Administrative Procedure Act. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 July 2026 Judge Biggs largely agreed with Williamson that Ford should have known her counterclaims were without merit, reasoning that outlook became clear after the court held the five-year contract was void as a matter of law. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026 The town of Foxboro responded to the Kraft Group’s lawsuit filed in June on Tuesday, stating the nearly $1 million entertainment license fee at issue was a legitimate billing for safety expenses and filing a counterclaim against the group. Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 8 July 2026 The three-week trial did not address antitrust claims alleged by Musk and harassment counterclaims filed by Altman that are still pending. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
  • That evening, Beretti underwent emergency surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach to treat a serious streptococcus infection, according to her complaint.
    Ella Moore July 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • The complaint also states that the scientists lacked the appropriate documents.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • The investigation also follows a lawsuit Attorney General Ken Paxton filed against a Houston-area postpartum care center.
    Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 July 2026
  • The woman was given a warning but later promoted, according to the lawsuit.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Noun
  • The relevant mechanism is whether environmental review, litigation or permitting disputes slow Starship testing and launch cadence.
    Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Others have blamed the athletes’ lawyers for engineering high-profile litigation, even though some of those lawyers haven’t been paid.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lively's publicist of defamation and extortion.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!