counterpart

[koun-ter-pahrt]

noun

1. a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function.

   Our president is the counterpart of your prime minister.

2. a copy; duplicate.

3. Law.,  a duplicate or copy of an indenture.

4. one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another.

counterpart

/ ˈkaʊntəˌpɑːt /

noun

1. a person or thing identical to or closely resembling another

2. one of two parts that complement or correspond to each other

3. a person acting opposite another in a play

4. a duplicate, esp of a legal document; copy

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterpart¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; counter-, part

Example Sentences

Greer noted a willingness from his Chinese counterparts to talk to defuse the tensions that upended a fragile detente between the two rivals.

Read more on Barron's

Iran said that it could not "engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian People and continue to threaten and sanction us", in reference to the United States.

Read more on Barron's

“I imagine I will have some contact with my counterpart and then the two leaders will meet,” he said Monday on Fox Business Network.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Esther Wallace, a former Division-I basketball player turned designer, saw that it was easy to buy merchandise celebrating the NBA’s biggest stars but much harder to find a jersey for their female counterparts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We underestimate how pleasant the exchange will be—for us and for our counterpart—and sell short our conversational chops.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal