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Synonyms

counterclaim

American  
[koun-ter-kleym, koun-ter-kleym] / ˈkaʊn tərˌkleɪm, ˌkaʊn tərˈkleɪm /

noun

  1. a claim made to offset another claim, especially one made by the defendant in a legal action.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to claim so as to offset a previous claim.

counterclaim British  
/ ˈkaʊntəˌkleɪm /

noun

  1. a claim set up in opposition to another, esp by the defendant in a civil action against the plaintiff

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to set up (a claim) in opposition to another claim

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • counterclaimant noun

Etymology

Origin of counterclaim

First recorded in 1775–85; counter- + claim

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Shell filed a counterclaim, saying the two men met only twice and that Shell owed him nothing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Shell filed a counterclaim against Cipriani this week accusing him of extortion and defamation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Shell filed a counterclaim accusing Cipriani of extortion and defamation, while Paramount called the allegations “frivolous.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The striker's team, meanwhile, reiterated that despite the counterclaim there was "no legal basis for deferring payment of the sum due".

From BBC • May 15, 2025

Don't take on so," she said kindly, and then remembering her treasured property, and probably fearing a counterclaim on my part to its possession, "But how can you be sure she was here?

From Quest of the Golden Girl, a Romance by Le Gallienne, Richard

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.