as in counterattack
an attack made to counter an enemy's attack
the army launched a counteroffensive at dawn
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Recent Examples of counteroffensive
The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.
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CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Iran has been firing missiles at Israel and Arab states in a counteroffensive since the joint America-Israeli attack Saturday that killed Khamenei and many top Iranian officials.
—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.
—
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.
—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counteroffensive
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Iran has been firing missiles at Israel and Arab states in a counteroffensive since the joint America-Israeli attack Saturday that killed Khamenei and many top Iranian officials.
—
Jon Gambrell,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official commitment to the peace agreement.
—
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.
—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counteroffensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counteroffensive
counterattack
Noun
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Yirenkyi is a key force for Ghana, which is defensive-minded and looks to hit teams with the counterattack.
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Two minutes later, Paraguay’s Mauricio forced a Patrick Beach save, then Australia’s counterattack saw an Alexandro Maidana shot attempt to end the scoreless deadlock.
Cite this Entry
“Counteroffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counteroffensive. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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