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.

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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 Allen denied both women's allegations and filed counterclaims against them in July 2023, accusing his former manager of defamation and other claims and accusing Jane Doe 2 of unlawfully taking his cellphone following their encounter. — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 The request was the latest salvo in the messy war where Ghost is suing Wilson for defamation, and Wilson is pursuing counterclaims against the producers for alleged bullying, intimidation, and breach of contract. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026 As is the case with most election cycles, the claims and counterclaims about the ballot measures being voted on in California this time around are largely based on caricatures of the measures themselves. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Depp won that case in 2022, though the jury also ruled in favor of one of Heard’s counterclaims. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
  • State voter rolls The Elias Law Group moved to intervene in all of the DOJ’s voter data acquisition lawsuits filed against noncomplying states that refused to turn over their unredacted voter rolls.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Fast-food chains have faced other lawsuits over product depictions in ads and on menu boards.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Asadi-Moghaddam and Seneker do not have any discipline cases or public complaints against them, according to their license verification pages on the Florida Department of Health website.
    — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Within hours, complaints began appearing online from people who said their new phones developed cracks along the folding display.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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