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 Red Sox extended the lead to 6-0 in the third thanks to Duran’s heroics, but the Guardians had a counterpunch up their sleeve.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Ovechkin’s second goal, 2:26 into the fourth period, bailed Washington out after a successful set of counterpunches from the Canadiens tied the game 2-2.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Yet whether such an aggressive counterpunch might actually happen is still unclear.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Instead of articulating a compelling vision that could spark a broad-minded counterpunch to narrow-minded populism, Newsom has taken an oddly defeatist course in his first podcasts.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterpunch
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Ovechkin’s second goal, 2:26 into the fourth period, bailed Washington out after a successful set of counterpunches from the Canadiens tied the game 2-2.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Yet whether such an aggressive counterpunch might actually happen is still unclear.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Instead of articulating a compelling vision that could spark a broad-minded counterpunch to narrow-minded populism, Newsom has taken an oddly defeatist course in his first podcasts.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterpunch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterpunch
counterattack
Noun
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The volume and intensity of incoming fire indicated a sizeable NVA force, a counterattack likely.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
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An orbital system would be complex, costly, and ultimately vulnerable to counterattack, warns Laura Grego, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group skeptical of missile defense development.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterpunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterpunch. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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