counterclaim

noun

Definition of counterclaimnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterclaim Qualcomm’s counterclaim Arm’s closing argument focused on the Nuvia ALA agreement. — Jim McGregor, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024 Frictions have also worsened in the South China Sea, much of which China asserts falls within its maritime territory despite counterclaims from several other regional countries. — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Christina Haack's Ex Ant Anstead Tags Her in Instagram Stories After Re-Following Her Post Divorce On April 26, the company filed a counterclaim against Velasco, Behle and others. — Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Amid the claims and counterclaims about negotiations to end the war, tensions between Moscow and NATO are likely to increase, especially if the alliance's European members bear more of the brunt of support for Ukraine. — Gord Magill, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
  1. complaint
  2. lawsuit
  3. litigation
  4. countersuit
Noun
  • Myers told The Ranch Podcast that the decision to remove the poster wasn’t in response to any complaint.
    — Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 19 Mar. 2025
  • According to the complaint, Henley organized a birthday party at Deja Vu for himself in December 2021.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of complaint
Noun
  • Its efforts to secure a major TV/streaming distributor led to a lawsuit against the biggest wrestling player, WWE, for interference, which was settled.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
  • What To Know Perkins Coie filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, asking the court to declare the president's order unconstitutional and grant relief to the law group as the court deems fit.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of lawsuit
Noun
  • The arrangement morphed into a cottage industry for a small number of law firms that solicited plaintiffs door to door and bombarded insurers with litigation, insurers have long contended.
    — Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Difficulties lead to litigation The frustrations have led hundreds of plaintiffs to sue in numerous cases in both state and federal court .
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of litigation
Noun
  • There’s a new countersuit on the ongoing Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni fracas.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Baldoni fired back with a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, last week.
    — Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Definition of countersuit

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Cite this Entry

“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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