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
An April 20 court order obtained by PEOPLE said that, given the bankruptcy filing and ARC's inability to file a counterclaim, Hardee's lawsuit is paused.
—
Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Their arguments are now moving forward as counterclaims under the umbrella of the QBE lawsuit.
—Tess Riski
april 14, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Perhaps more importantly, CAA’s counterclaims accusing the agents of stealing trade secrets on their way out and starting a rival agency that masquerades as a management firm were rejected.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
The other focused on counterclaims.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Their arguments are now moving forward as counterclaims under the umbrella of the QBE lawsuit.
—Tess Riski
april 14, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Perhaps more importantly, CAA’s counterclaims accusing the agents of stealing trade secrets on their way out and starting a rival agency that masquerades as a management firm were rejected.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
The other focused on counterclaims.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
-
No complaints about the strong, free Wi-Fi.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
And the White House has required VA officials and advocates to sign NDAs about construction on campus, drawing bipartisan complaints from Congress.—
Quil Lawrence,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The lawsuit claims the club allowed patrons to pay extra money to bypass security.—
Erin Jones,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Texas Tech's appeal to the NCAA to have Brendan Sorsby's eligibility reinstated has been denied, in a ruling that is separate from the transfer quarterback's lawsuit against that same governing body.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Noun
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That suit builds on litigation filed in March 2025 alleging that the administration of lethal injection in Tennessee inflicts cruel and unusual punishment.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
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Proctor's phone had been under a protective order, but Read's attorneys intervened and asked for permission to use the information from his cellphone in future litigation against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Liman dismissed the countersuit in June 2025, ruling in agreement with Lively's motion that Baldoni's claims of civil extortion, defamation and false light did not hold up legally.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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That countersuit claimed that Watson’s willingness to speak with The Star about the legal dispute harmed his reputation and cost him the seat.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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