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 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
Whether OpenAI will prevail on its counterclaims is anybody's guess.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
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
Whether OpenAI will prevail on its counterclaims is anybody's guess.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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Difficulty concentrating is a common complaint among people experiencing SAD, Justin Puder, PhD, a psychologist based in Boca Raton, Florida, tells SELF.—
Maggie O'Neill,
SELF,
20 Oct. 2025
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With her lawsuit, Ball is seeking damages for her injuries, pain and suffering, lost earnings, disfigurement, mental anguish and more, the complaint shows.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ticketmaster is trying to address the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with several moves intended to block scalpers from abusing the platform.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
21 Oct. 2025
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Attorneys representing Terri Ball argue in the lawsuit that the officers involved in the chase violated police department policies on vehicle pursuits and use of force.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After the factory closed, Cano joined litigation involving Sae-A Trading, another Korean company which used to purchase KOA Modas’s apparel on Target’s behalf and, after a lengthy legal battle, pledged to fulfill the vast majority of severance payments.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
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Pending the Supreme Court’s decision, further appeals and ongoing litigation in other states continue to unfold, with the potential for sweeping implications for the balance between federal authority and state sovereignty across the country.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The countersuit also alleges that Gables shared his previous lawsuit with the media and that Smith’s reputation has been damaged by the defamatory claims, resulting in the rapper being dropped from two advertising campaigns.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
13 Oct. 2025
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His initial account of the June 2024 incident differed from hers in the recent countersuit.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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