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counter
1[ koun-ter ]
noun
- a table or display case on which goods can be shown, business transacted, etc.
- (in restaurants, luncheonettes, etc.) a long, narrow table with stools or chairs along one side for the patrons, behind which refreshments or meals are prepared and served.
- a surface for the preparation of food in a kitchen, especially on a low cabinet.
- anything used in keeping account, as a disk of metal or wood, used in some games, as checkers, for marking a player's position or for keeping score.
- an imitation coin or token.
- a coin; money.
counter
2[ koun-ter ]
noun
- a device for counting revolutions of a wheel, items produced, etc.
- a person who counts.
- Cards. card counter.
- Computers. a storage register or program variable used to tally how often something of interest occurs.
- Electronics. scaler ( def 2 ).
- Physics. any of various instruments for detecting ionizing radiation and for registering counts. Geiger counter.
counter
3[ koun-ter ]
adverb
- in the wrong way; contrary to the right course; in the reverse or opposite direction.
- contrary; in opposition (usually preceded by run or go ):
to run counter to the rules.
noun
- something that is opposite or contrary to something else.
- a blow delivered in receiving or parrying another blow, as in boxing.
- a statement or action made to refute, oppose, or nullify another statement or action.
- Fencing. a circular parry.
- a piece of leather or other material inserted between the lining and outside leather of a shoe or boot quarter to keep it stiff.
- Nautical. the part of a stern that overhangs and projects aft of the sternpost of a vessel.
- Also called void. Typesetting. any part of the face of a type that is less than type-high and is therefore not inked.
- Engineering, Building Trades. a truss member subject to stress only under certain partial loadings of the truss.
- the part of a horse's breast that lies between the shoulders and under the neck.
verb (used with object)
- to go counter to; oppose; controvert.
- to meet or answer (a move, blow, etc.) by another in return.
verb (used without object)
- to make a counter or opposing move.
- to give a blow while receiving or parrying one, as in boxing.
counter
4[ koun-ter ]
verb (used with object)
- to encounter in opposition or combat.
counter-
5- a combining form of counter 3, used with the meanings “against,” “contrary,” “opposite,” “in opposition or response to” ( countermand ); “complementary,” “in reciprocation,” “corresponding,” “parallel” ( counterfoil; counterbalance ); “substitute,” “duplicate” ( counterfeit ).
counter
1/ ˈkaʊntə /
noun
- a horizontal surface, as in a shop or bank, over which business is transacted
- (in some cafeterias) a long table on which food is served to customers
- a small flat disc of wood, metal, or plastic, used in various board games
- a similar disc or token used as an imitation coin
- a person or thing that may be used or manipulated
- a skating figure consisting of three circles
- under the counterunder-the-counter when prenominal (of the sale of goods, esp goods in short supply) clandestine, surreptitious, or illegal; not in an open manner
- over the counterover-the-counter when prenominal (of security transactions) through a broker rather than on a stock exchange
counter-
2prefix
- against; opposite; contrary
counterattack
- complementary; corresponding
counterfoil
- duplicate or substitute
counterfeit
counter
3/ ˈkaʊntə /
adverb
- in a contrary direction or manner
- in a wrong or reverse direction
- run counter toto have a contrary effect or action to
adjective
- opposing; opposite; contrary
noun
- something that is contrary or opposite to some other thing
- an act, effect, or force that opposes another
- a return attack, such as a blow in boxing
- fencing a parry in which the foils move in a circular fashion
- the portion of the stern of a boat or ship that overhangs the water aft of the rudder
- Also calledvoid printing the inside area of a typeface that is not type high, such as the centre of an "o", and therefore does not print
- the part of a horse's breast under the neck and between the shoulders
- a piece of leather forming the back of a shoe
verb
- to say or do (something) in retaliation or response
- tr to move, act, or perform in a manner or direction opposite to (a person or thing)
- to return the attack of (an opponent)
counter
4/ ˈkaʊntə /
noun
- a person who counts
- an apparatus that records the number of occurrences of events
- any instrument for detecting or counting ionizing particles or photons See Geiger counter scintillation counter crystal counter
- electronics another name for scaler
Word History and Origins
Origin of counter1
Origin of counter2
Origin of counter3
Origin of counter4
Word History and Origins
Origin of counter1
Origin of counter2
Origin of counter3
Origin of counter4
Idioms and Phrases
- over the counter,
- (of the sale of stock) through a broker's office rather than through the stock exchange.
- (of the sale of merchandise) through a retail store rather than through a wholesaler.
- under the counter, in a clandestine manner, especially illegally:
books sold under the counter.
More idioms and phrases containing counter
see run counter to ; under the counter .Example Sentences
When Chérif got out of prison, he worked at the fish counter of a supermarket.
This led to the formation of a Christian militant group to counter the rebels, and all-out sectarian violence exploded.
It seemed gratuitous and counter-intuitive in a story that had already inflicted more than enough suffering.
Then the sun went down and the anger came back as a “Thank You NYPD” rally traded insults with counter-protestors.
If you need to store the bottle in the fridge, let it warm up for a few minutes on the counter before serving.
On to Gaba Tepe just in time to see the opening, the climax and the end of the dreaded Turkish counter attack.
Our beloved Queen had drawn the teeth of the Turkish counter-attack on our extreme left.
Thereupon, I gave the word for a general counter-attack and our line began to advance.
The handkerchief glimmered on the counter, more white than anything else in that grey dusk.
She preceded him along a passage and then, taking a door on the left, found herself surprisingly in the shop, behind a counter.
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Related Words
Words That Use counter-
What does counter- mean?
Counter– is a combining form used like a prefix with a variety of meanings, primarily meaning “against,” “contrary,” or “opposite.” It is often used in everyday and technical terms.
Counter– comes from Middle English countre-, meaning “against.” A related prefix is contra–, as in contraindicate, meaning “against,” from Latin contrā. Find out more at our entries for contra– and contraindicate.
Examples of counter-
An example of a word you may have encountered that features counter– is counteract, “to act in opposition to.”
While counter– means “against,” the –act portion of the word refers to “anything done,” as in “deed,” from Latin ācta. Counteract literally translates to “against something being done.”
What are some words that use the combining form counter-?
- counterbalance
- counterfeit (using the equivalent form of counter– in Middle English)
- countermand (using the equivalent form of counter– in Middle English)
- counterspy
- countersue
What are some other forms that counter– may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that begins with the exact letters counter-, such as countertop or counterman, is necessarily using the combining form counter– to denote “against.” Learn why countertop means “surface” at our entry for the word.
Break it down!
Given the meaning of the combining form counter-, what does counterbalance literally mean?
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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