countersuit

noun

coun·​ter·​suit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌsüt How to pronounce countersuit (audio)
variants or less commonly counter-suit
plural countersuits also counter-suits
: an opposing lawsuit
especially : a claim asserted by an opposing party in a lawsuit (such as a defendant) against the party bringing the original lawsuit (such as a plaintiff) : counterclaim
decided to file a countersuit against her accuser
The current appeal results from a patent infringement suit and countersuit between Apple Inc. ("Apple") and Samsung Electronics Co … Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016)

Examples of countersuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin's $400 million countersuit against Lively, 37, Reynolds, 48, and their publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as his $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times. Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 28 July 2025 Gottwald denied those claims and filed a countersuit for defamation and breach of contract against Kesha. Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 24 July 2025 Baldoni filed a countersuit against her for defamation and extortion, with The New York Times also named as a defendant. Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 21 July 2025 Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios responded by filing a $400 million countersuit against her, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane. Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for countersuit

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of countersuit was in 1814

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Cite this Entry

“Countersuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countersuit. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

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