as in complaint
a court case brought against the plaintiff of another court case by the defendant
The defendant filed a counterclaim for his own injuries, claiming that he only rear-ended the plaintiff because she had stopped too fast.
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Recent Examples of counterclaim
Damages were denied in the case, but the court left the possibility that Lively can seek additional damages through another lawsuit or counterclaim open.
—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 June 2026
Netgear’s counterclaim reiterates long-standing concerns that the Chinese government could secretly use TP-Link to spy on the US.
—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
The company filed a counterclaim against Motiwalla denying the allegations.
—
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 June 2026
Netgear’s counterclaim reiterates long-standing concerns that the Chinese government could secretly use TP-Link to spy on the US.
—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
The company filed a counterclaim against Motiwalla denying the allegations.
—
Angie Dimichele,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
And in March, van Keulen dismissed one of the Mountain West’s counterclaims against the Pac-12 but ruled two others could proceed to trial, most notably the tortious interference claims.
—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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The air district is still encouraging residents to report odors to its online complaint system or by calling (800) 288-7664.
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The dietitian thought there might be a correlation, according to an internal Abbott summary of the complaint shown during Colombo’s deposition.
Noun
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Trump is consistently being rebuffed in court; the Justice Department has lost at least a dozen election lawsuits.
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Those logistics include a lawsuit by Communities for a Better Environment to halt the county’s original sale of its own half-interest in the site to the Athletics baseball franchise for $85 million in 2019.
Noun
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The litigation opened a wider window into the business and regulation of infant formula, including adverse event reports.
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The Supreme Court’s own opinion noted the athlete had won the state shot put title and had also won the Region 2 championship in both shot put and discus during the litigation.
Noun
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His countersuit was dismissed in June 2025, after Liman ruled that Lively's claims could not be considered defamatory.
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Depp was instructed to pay $2 million, as Heard won one of the three claims in her countersuit.
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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