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
Claims and counterclaims and various legal motions piled up on both coasts, but the core dispute remained, more or less, constant.
—
Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Mbappe’s legal side are seeking €263million (£230m; $309m) in total, while PSG have filed a counterclaim against Mbappe, asking for around €440m in damages.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Now the Hancock County winery has filed a counterclaim alleging unfair treatment.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 13 Nov. 2025
Young filed counterclaims against Aetna, claiming the insurer ‘cynically and unscientifically’ denied payments, which may have resulted in people’s deaths.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
Mbappe’s legal side are seeking €263million (£230m; $309m) in total, while PSG have filed a counterclaim against Mbappe, asking for around €440m in damages.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Now the Hancock County winery has filed a counterclaim alleging unfair treatment.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 13 Nov. 2025
Young filed counterclaims against Aetna, claiming the insurer ‘cynically and unscientifically’ denied payments, which may have resulted in people’s deaths.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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The complaint argues that federal officers’ use of chemical munitions and excessive force represents retaliation against protesters, which violates their First Amendment rights.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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The complaint, from May 2025, first made headlines when the Wall Street Journal reported Monday on the lengthy process taken to prepare the highly sensitive document for lawmaker viewing.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The lawsuit claims Saint Ann’s leadership was alerted twice in early 2024 that explicit images of young girls were circulating among students on Snapchat but failed to notify police or intervene beyond internal meetings.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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Such lawsuits are difficult to win, because unlike state or local officials, federal officials are protected by immunity in many cases.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The rodeos at Petco Park, which is largely owned by the city of San Diego, have been controversial, prompting not just litigation but protests from animal rights groups and calls to ban rodeos within the city limits.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2026
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Moreover, organizations that provide data breach notices have reduced the amount of information included in those disclosures due to litigation risk, according to Lee.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a 2025 countersuit, Baldoni accused Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Baldoni's countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion, has since been dismissed by the judge.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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