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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.

Diana said Tuesday that the counteroffer didn’t provide any financial details and dismissed it as a tactic to detract from its own takeover bid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Paramount Skydance presented a $77.9 billion counteroffer Monday.

From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025

When county officials made a counteroffer, he said, “they came with a pittance.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025

Each drugmaker has until early March to accept the offer or propose a counteroffer to the government.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 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.