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
The team's counterclaims include defamation, civil conspiracy, tortious interference and breach of contract.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The counterclaim is in response to an initial federal lawsuit filed on July 1 by the Utah Mammoth, who are owned by 47-year-old billionaire businessman Ryan Smith, that seeks to end the trademark dispute.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The maker of Dawgs shoes brought the allegations as a counterclaim after Crocs hit the company with a patent infringement lawsuit.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
The Jane the Virgin alum’s counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which involved allegations of extortion and defamation, were dismissed by Judge Liman in June.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The counterclaim is in response to an initial federal lawsuit filed on July 1 by the Utah Mammoth, who are owned by 47-year-old billionaire businessman Ryan Smith, that seeks to end the trademark dispute.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The maker of Dawgs shoes brought the allegations as a counterclaim after Crocs hit the company with a patent infringement lawsuit.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
The Jane the Virgin alum’s counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which involved allegations of extortion and defamation, were dismissed by Judge Liman in June.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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To date, none of the criminal complaints filed in this case mention any anti-gay text messages, social media posts or comments made by the defendants, whose communications were being secretly monitored and taped by undercover informants and agents.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Shah said the news has led to over 500 complaints.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At a time when the Mavericks need as much good will, or PR, as possible, filing a lawsuit against the Dallas Stars is petty, small and mean.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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What the lawsuits allege The first lawsuit, filed by the families of five campers and two counselors, accuses Camp Mystic of not having adequate safety plans and prioritizing money over safety.—
Pamela Brown,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The secret decision led to public backlash and the threat of litigation.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Mark focused solely on litigation and client intake, while Alexis managed pre-litigation and negotiations.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Fechters have filed a countersuit, claiming the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to shut down the facility.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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The company has also filed a countersuit denying allegations of wrongdoing, while claiming over $116 million in damages and lost profits.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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