counterclaims

plural of counterclaim
as in lawsuits
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 counterclaims In Georgia, Teddy’s Market has answered with counterclaims arguing Buc-ee's is squeezing smaller rivals with claims that don't hold. Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Those allegations have not been proven in court, and Buc-ee's has not yet responded to the counterclaims. Christopher Harris, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Williams, who had filed counterclaims against Baumgarten for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about her and tarnishing her reputation, also voluntarily dismissed her suit at the same time. Catherine Muccigrosso july 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 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 Judge Biggs largely agreed with Williamson that Ford should have known her counterclaims were without merit, reasoning that outlook became clear after the court held the five-year contract was void as a matter of law. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026 The three-week trial did not address antitrust claims alleged by Musk and harassment counterclaims filed by Altman that are still pending. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 In 2022, a jury awarded Depp more than $10 million in damages, while Heard won one of her counterclaims and was awarded $2 million. Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 30 June 2026 In April 2026, the defendants filed counterclaims of their own against the investors. Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
  • Surges of federal agents into cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis fueled mass protests, lawsuits and widespread claims of harassment and racial profiling.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The office also helps investigate and manage congressional investigations into the administration and lawsuits against the president when he is sued in his official capacity.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Two people were arrested, but charges were dropped pending the outcome of the internal review after complaints about the use of force.
    Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!