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counteroffer

American  
[koun-ter-aw-fer, -of-er, koun-ter-aw-fer, -of-er] / ˌkaʊn tərˈɔ fər, -ˈɒf ər, ˈkaʊn tərˌɔ fər, -ˌɒf ər /

noun

  1. an offer or proposal made to offset or substitute for an earlier offer made by another.

counteroffer British  
/ ˈkaʊntərˌɒfə /

noun

  1. a response to a bid in which a seller amends his original offer, making it more favourable to the buyer

"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

Etymology

Origin of counteroffer

First recorded in 1780–90; counter- + offer

Vocabulary lists containing counteroffer

Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School

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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School

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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.

Verizon’s “Bring Your Bill” campaign invites AT&T and T-Mobile customers to upload their bills or bring them in-store to get a counteroffer from Verizon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

Paramount Skydance presented a $77.9 billion counteroffer Monday.

From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025

“Rejecting Ms. Zucker’s counteroffer does not constitute retaliation,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2024

It is also a matter of whether the teams are worth anywhere near the $500 million counteroffer that D.C.

From Slate • Jan. 31, 2024

Maybe you should ask me for a counteroffer.

From Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Doctorow, Cory

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.