as in counterattack
an attack made to counter an enemy's attack
the last, desperate counterpunch of the German armies, known as the Battle of the Bulge
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Recent Examples of counterpunch
The Iranian counterpunch this time consisted chiefly of attacks against its Gulf neighbors, most of whom had declined to get involved in this war.
—
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
But the Aztecs had a counterpunch for every Cowboys jab – a Miles Byrd drive that drew two free throws, a jump hook off the glass from Pharaoh Compton, a 3 from Magoon Gwath, a 3 from Taj DeGourville , a jumper in traffic from Dixon-Waters.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
The counterpunch for Republicans is the fact that off-year elections — those held in odd years not during traditional general elections — get less attention and are often poor measures for the overall mood of the electorate.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Aside from the officiating controversy, the Bucs had little success finding a counterpunch to the Lions’ running game.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterpunch
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
But the Aztecs had a counterpunch for every Cowboys jab – a Miles Byrd drive that drew two free throws, a jump hook off the glass from Pharaoh Compton, a 3 from Magoon Gwath, a 3 from Taj DeGourville , a jumper in traffic from Dixon-Waters.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
The counterpunch for Republicans is the fact that off-year elections — those held in odd years not during traditional general elections — get less attention and are often poor measures for the overall mood of the electorate.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Aside from the officiating controversy, the Bucs had little success finding a counterpunch to the Lions’ running game.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterpunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterpunch
counterattack
Noun
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Les Grenadiers led at halftime after a gritty 45 minutes with many dangerous runs on the counterattack, and some late arriving fans were still pouring into the parking lots as the second half began.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
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And Addie McCain added a late insurance goal on the counterattack to seal the victory and one of the most dramatic title runs in recent women’s soccer memory.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterpunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpunch. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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