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.

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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 Per an April 20 court order, Hardee’s lawsuit is paused due to ARC’s bankruptcy filing and inability to file a counterclaim. Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026 The New York Times has filed counterclaims against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is pursuing a lawsuit against the news organization for allegedly discriminating against a white male employee by passing him over for a promotion. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026 The counterclaim alleges violation of the First Amendment, due process and the Administrative Procedure Act. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 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 See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
  • The police investigation was launched following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records say left about 200 people dead.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The New York complaint is built to wound, and its details travel beyond the penalty math.
    Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The city has not enforced the loan’s default provisions, even after Step Up settled a separate $3 million state lawsuit over undelivered Project Homekey housing.
    Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Miller has denied the abuse allegations and filed defamation lawsuits against his ex-wife and a second accuser.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Colleen, his mother, was a teacher, and his father, Dawud, did litigation support for law firms.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The filing also accuses Buc-ee's of using aggressive trademark litigation to discourage competition.
    Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Baldoni also filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in January 2025, alleging that the couple and their PR firm had defamed him and Wayfarer Studios.
    Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026
  • In 2025, that anonymous woman filed a countersuit, alleging in turn that the Tates defamed her.
    Kat Tenbarge, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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