counterpart

American  

[koun-ter-pahrt] / ˈkaʊn tərˌpɑrt /

noun

• counterparts
  plural

1. a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function.

   Our president is the counterpart of your prime minister.

2. a copy; duplicate.

3. Law. a duplicate or copy of an indenture.

4. one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.

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counterpart British  

/ ˈkaʊntəˌpɑːt /

noun

1. a person or thing identical to or closely resembling another

2. one of two parts that complement or correspond to each other

3. a person acting opposite another in a play

4. a duplicate, esp of a legal document; copy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• counterparts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of counterpart

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at counter-, part

Explanation

If you leap tall buildings in a single bound for the Des Moines branch of your corporation, then your Metropolis counterpart might be Superman. That means you and Superman do similar jobs, but in different locations. The noun counterpart comes from the French word countre part, meaning “duplicate of a legal document.” In legal circles counterpart still means "a duplicate document," but today it is more likely to describe people. Counterparts aren't duplicates, of course, but they have similar skills and responsibilities. If you play soccer, your counterpart is the player on the other team who plays the same position.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counterpart counterparts

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under fire for comments he made about two melons gifted to him by his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, after a former Japanese envoy called it an insult.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

He met his US counterpart Donald Trump last Tuesday, partly to lobby Washington for licences to produce Patriots domestically.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Relations between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump have been strained and, at times, stormy.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Monday that the ministry is maintaining close communication with the Treasury Department and wouldn’t hesitate to intervene again together with its U.S. counterpart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Samuel Estimo, a chess master and Jinky’s attorney in the Philippines, wrote to Bogason, his Icelandic counterpart, and protested that Jinky’s claim had been relinquished too soon.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The exercise -- enlisting 18,000 South Korean troops and counterparts from US forces in the country -- will have a heightened focus on drone warfare, GPS disruption and the role of cyber attacks, he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The US-South Korea "Ulchi Freedom Shield" drills due on Monday will include 18,000 South Korean troops and counterparts from the US contingent of 28,500 in the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Americans are also spending more than their European counterparts on each trip, including shelling out for luxury experiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

They aren't as social as their alpine counterparts, Blumstein said, and the female marmots get grumpier as they age.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Once the photosynthetic cells had appeared, very probably counterparts of today’s blue-green algae, the future respiratory mechanism of the earth was set in place.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas