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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Recent Examples of counterclaims
The team's counterclaims include defamation, civil conspiracy, tortious interference and breach of contract.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 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
Whether OpenAI will prevail on its counterclaims is anybody's guess.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
The ruling came despite Musk's legal team requesting that the counterclaims be dismissed.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 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
Whether OpenAI will prevail on its counterclaims is anybody's guess.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
The ruling came despite Musk's legal team requesting that the counterclaims be dismissed.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
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Officials from Harvard and the White House have been in discussions for months about a high-dollar deal to restore all federal funding to the university and end its ongoing lawsuits against the administration.—
Michelle Watson,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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The lawsuits before the Supreme Court—brought by importers and small manufacturers—claim the president’s sweeping use of emergency powers violates congressional authority to tax and regulate trade.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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If someone swears on air, hosts typically apologize immediately to stay within Ofcom’s rules and avoid complaints or investigation.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Mercifully, breakfast goes by with no complaints.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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