counterclaim
Americannoun
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counterclaims
plural
verb (used with or without object)
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counterclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
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counterclaimed,
past participle, past
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counterclaiming
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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counterclaimsimple
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counterclaimssimple
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have counterclaimedperfect
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has counterclaimedperfect
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am counterclaimingprogressive
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are counterclaimingprogressive
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is counterclaimingprogressive
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have been counterclaimingperfect progressive
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has been counterclaimingperfect progressive
Past
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counterclaimedsimple
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had counterclaimedperfect
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was counterclaimingprogressive
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were counterclaimingprogressive
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had been counterclaimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of counterclaim
Explanation
When one person sues another in a court of law and the defendant responds by filing their own lawsuit against that person, that's a counterclaim. If your neighbor sues you because you're collecting junky cars in your shared driveway, you might file a counterclaim stating that they stole property when they hauled one of the old cars to the town dump. Another way to use this word is to mean "opposing argument." In a debate, when you state that school lunch should be free for everyone, your opponent may present a counterclaim that the income from selling food helps the school in the long run.
Vocabulary lists containing counterclaim
The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Against All Odds: Contra and Counter
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Common Core Grades 7–8, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Han said he would pay the money but disputes the amount involved and may file a counterclaim later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Amid claim and counterclaim Russia on Friday had requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Shkreli this week filed a counterclaim in federal court in New York against RZA, also known as Robert Diggs, along with Azzougarh and PleasrDAO, a digital art collective that purchased the album.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
The counterclaim cites “allegations Plaintiffs have recently fabricated in support of their extortionate scheme” and comments the accusers’ lawyers allegedly made during a May 6 press conference.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
Nor could he make the counterclaim for a dissolving of the betrothal.
From We Can't Have Everything by Rupert Hughes
Meanwhile, the cycle of claims and counterclaims by the U.S. and Iran has continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
In a statement on Wednesday, ARN said the settlement "provides for the full and final resolution of all claims and counterclaims between the parties".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Shkreli’s counterclaims are the latest twist in a legal saga over the one-of-a-kind album, titled “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
But I don't think that any of us were prepared for the number, and the defamation claims, and the counterclaims to the defamation claims.
From Salon ● May 29, 2024
In the welter of claims and counterclaims, one harassed councilor wearily suggested a lottery.
From The Eel by Miriam Allen DeFord
Italy counterclaimed that after being found by Italian fishermen, it had been exported illegally from Italy.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2024
Then, American counterclaimed, saying Dad broke the contract by improperly using the companion feature.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 20, 2019
N. E. A. counterclaimed that not one of its 500 clients had dropped Hoople for Puffle.
From Time Magazine Archive
PP is counterclaiming £344,000 in ground rent, plus another £286,000 of interest and costs.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025
All that counterclaiming and crossclaiming might be avoided by settling, but the large number of litigants and of lawyers — 15 at last count — still points to a protracted process, legal experts say.
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2023
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.
