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 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
Earlier this month, a judge allowed OpenAI to move forward with counterclaims against Musk.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The judge has denied Musk’s request to block OpenAI’s restructuring plans, tossed out some of Musk’s claims and permitted OpenAI’s counterclaim to proceed.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
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
Earlier this month, a judge allowed OpenAI to move forward with counterclaims against Musk.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The judge has denied Musk’s request to block OpenAI’s restructuring plans, tossed out some of Musk’s claims and permitted OpenAI’s counterclaim to proceed.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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In searching homes on Friday, FBI agents found multiple AR-15-style rifles, shotguns, handguns and tactical vets, as well as more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition compatible with the AR-15-style rifles, the complaint said.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
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That’s not disclosed in the complaint, and the suit doesn’t currently include any exhibits or additional documents backing up the allegations.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuit was dismissed in March after a judge found the group had no standing to pursue the claims made.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Nov. 2025
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Democratic state officials behind one of the lawsuits argue that stopping benefits will lead to worse food insecurity.—
NPR,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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However, his biggest strength as a pageant coach doesn’t come from nearly 40 years of civil litigation and frequenting courthouses.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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Jenni Riehle, a spokeswoman for the MDOC, declined to comment, citing pending litigation.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2025.
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