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
Stalcup has denied the allegations in various filings and made counterclaims against Kastleman.
—
Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
Claims and counterclaims and various legal motions piled up on both coasts, but the core dispute remained, more or less, constant.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
The court dismissed those counterclaims.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
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
Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
Claims and counterclaims and various legal motions piled up on both coasts, but the core dispute remained, more or less, constant.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
The court dismissed those counterclaims.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaims
Noun
-
Walsh thinks that if HJR 4209 were to pass, costly lawsuits would follow the loss of Republican districts.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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The township is arguing that state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Parents of students with disabilities have increasingly resorted to filing complaints with the state over their schools’ failure to educate their children, and most of the time, state investigators have agreed.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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MacLeod said many of the complaints his organization hears are like the Johnsons’ and involve third-party utility billing companies hired by landlords.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaims. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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