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 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
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
Nathan, Abel, and Wayfarer filed counterclaims against Jones.
—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
Their arguments are now moving forward as counterclaims under the umbrella of the QBE lawsuit.
—
Tess Riski
april 14,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
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
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
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
Nathan, Abel, and Wayfarer filed counterclaims against Jones.
—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
Their arguments are now moving forward as counterclaims under the umbrella of the QBE lawsuit.
—
Tess Riski
april 14,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
-
While there have been many lawsuits and much news reporting, there has been little empirical research testing whether a concentration in treatment centers are tied to a significant increase in overdoses in the area, the report said.
-
Trump is consistently being rebuffed in court; the Justice Department has lost at least a dozen election lawsuits.
Noun
-
The result was a menu of skin complaints – fungal, bacterial and otherwise.
-
Florida ranks third in overall internet fraud complaints, as well as third in money lost, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2025 annual report.
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
