counteroffensive
noun
coun·ter·of·fen·sive
ˈkau̇n-tər-ə-ˌfen(t)-siv 
: a large-scale military offensive undertaken by a force previously on the defensive
Synonyms
Examples of counteroffensive in a Sentence
They mounted a counteroffensive against the enemy.
the army launched a counteroffensive at dawn
Recent Examples on the Web
Workers from across the federal government set off a legal counteroffensive against President Trump and Elon Musk on Tuesday, challenging the legality of efforts to raze their agencies, single them out publicly or push them out of their jobs.
—
Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
As Democrats on Capitol Hill and in blue states come up with counteroffensives, others on the political left at the grassroots level said advocacy groups will have to be more disciplined with raising awareness and picking strategic battles.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
His army had lost a lot of its initial gains as it was pushed out of the Kyiv region - and would go on to lose more later that year in two further successful Ukrainian counteroffensives.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025
Unlike in 2016, when Iranian ground forces and Russian air support succeeded in repelling rebel forces during the siege of Aleppo, neither patron could launch a rapid counteroffensive this time.
—Nicole Grajewski, Foreign Affairs, 28 Jan. 2025
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Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
As Democrats on Capitol Hill and in blue states come up with counteroffensives, others on the political left at the grassroots level said advocacy groups will have to be more disciplined with raising awareness and picking strategic battles.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
His army had lost a lot of its initial gains as it was pushed out of the Kyiv region - and would go on to lose more later that year in two further successful Ukrainian counteroffensives.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025
Unlike in 2016, when Iranian ground forces and Russian air support succeeded in repelling rebel forces during the siege of Aleppo, neither patron could launch a rapid counteroffensive this time.
—Nicole Grajewski, Foreign Affairs, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for counteroffensive
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Dictionary Entries Near counteroffensive
Cite this Entry
“Counteroffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counteroffensive. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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counteroffensive
noun
coun·ter·of·fen·sive
ˈkau̇nt-ə-rə-ˌfen(t)-siv
: a large-scale counterattack
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