as in counterattacks
an attack made to counter an enemy's attack
the army launched a counteroffensive at dawn
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Recent Examples of counteroffensives
Russia still controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has recently clawed back limited ground in counteroffensives.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 24 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
Then, Ukraine reclaimed significant ground in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts during counteroffensives.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Initial Russian gains occurred primarily in the early months of the war, with Ukrainian counteroffensives regaining significant areas in Kharkiv and Kherson provinces.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 24 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
Then, Ukraine reclaimed significant ground in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts during counteroffensives.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Initial Russian gains occurred primarily in the early months of the war, with Ukrainian counteroffensives regaining significant areas in Kharkiv and Kherson provinces.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counteroffensives
counterattacks
Noun
-
Bassong continued in the midfield through 2025, bringing that same intense defensive presence while jump-starting counterattacks.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Launch units can reposition quickly, reducing vulnerability to counterattacks.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counteroffensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counteroffensives. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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