counterclaim
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- counterclaimant noun
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.
Shell filed a counterclaim, saying the two men met only twice and that Shell owed him nothing.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
During that encounter, Shell told Cipriani that he owed him nothing, according to Shell’s counterclaim.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The suit was filed as a counterclaim to a November lawsuit by Joby against Archer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 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
The railway company not only repudiated all liability, but sent in a counterclaim for damage to their engine!
From Grain and Chaff from an English Manor by Savory, Arthur H.
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.
