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.
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
Baldoni, who also directed the film, filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which Liman dismissed in June.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
But his previously unreported warning was the first of a torrent of claims and counterclaims shared by conservative commentators after Kirk’s death.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
The other focused on counterclaims.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Baldoni, who also directed the film, filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which Liman dismissed in June.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
But his previously unreported warning was the first of a torrent of claims and counterclaims shared by conservative commentators after Kirk’s death.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
-
This policy was created in response to business complaints and safety concerns regarding disruptive behavior.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
The children were allegedly being abducted to be taken to their native Yemen, the outlets reported, citing prosecutors and felony complaints.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The hearing was over dueling lawsuits filed by the hospitals’ landlord and the company that operates the hospital, against one another, in Cook County Circuit Court.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The lawsuit alleges the city enforced the rule against the rainbow fence but failed to cite other noncompliant households for similar fence-color violations.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Baldoni later accused a trio of other insurers of breach of contract for refusing to cover litigation costs.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
-
Courts have blocked key parts of the president’s 2025 executive order, and the president’s most recent order on mail-in voting remains tied up in litigation.—
Caleb Groves,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
That countersuit was later dismissed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Baldoni denied the allegations and later filed a $400 million countersuit, which was eventually dismissed.—
Elizabeth Rosner,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
