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 company filed a counterclaim against Motiwalla denying the allegations.
—
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
While the judge has dismissed some of their counterclaims, several persist.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Her lawyer began preparing a counterclaim.
—Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
While the judge has dismissed some of their counterclaims, several persist.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Her lawyer began preparing a counterclaim.
—Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
-
The plot unraveled on June 11 when Proper's mother went to police with concerns about her son's behavior online, recent firearms purchases and plans to travel, according to a criminal complaint.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
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The Patriots claim that Foxborough improperly charged them approximately $1 million in new administrative fees when, according to the complaint, the town only has state authorization to charge up to $100 per year to renew stadium entertainment licenses.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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On June 8, a federal judge invalidated the White House's $100,000 fee policy in response to a lawsuit brought by 20 states.—
Shanelle Kaul,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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The administration quickly faced several lawsuits, and the Supreme Court is deciding one of those cases right now.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The states alleged the administration failed to follow proper administrative processes and misused a government fund reserved for legal settlements even though there was no litigation between the parties.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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In Florida, housing discrimination complaints, including those involving ESAs, may still be pursued through private litigation or by the filing of a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations.—
Shari Wald Garrett,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Noun
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In January 2025, Baldoni and Wayfarer filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times, over claims of civil extortion, defamation and false light.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
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However, in June 2025, a federal judge dismissed Baldoni's countersuit, ruling that many of the statements at issue were legally protected and that the claims did not meet the legal standards required to proceed.—
Janelle Ash , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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