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
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
Things went on, punch and counterpunch, over who did what with which social media posts and why
At one point, Tamra and Emily Simpson got into a side fight, calling each other the same unprintable word several times.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 21 Nov. 2025
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
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
Things went on, punch and counterpunch, over who did what with which social media posts and why
At one point, Tamra and Emily Simpson got into a side fight, calling each other the same unprintable word several times.
—Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 21 Nov. 2025
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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The second aspect of Beijing’s counterattack is its timing.—
Steve H. Hanke,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
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In the fifth minute, Bay FC sprung the counterattack with Taylor Huff delivering a perfect pass to Racheal Kundananjii.—
Phuoc Nguyen,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterpunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpunch. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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