counterpart

American  

[kaun-ter-pahrt] / ˈkaʊn tərˌpɑrt /

noun

• counterparts
  plural

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.

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counterpart British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• counterparts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of counterpart

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

Explanation

If you leap tall buildings in a single bound for the Des Moines branch of your corporation, then your Metropolis counterpart might be Superman. That means you and Superman do similar jobs, but in different locations. The noun counterpart comes from the French word countre part, meaning “duplicate of a legal document.” In legal circles counterpart still means "a duplicate document," but today it is more likely to describe people. Counterparts aren't duplicates, of course, but they have similar skills and responsibilities. If you play soccer, your counterpart is the player on the other team who plays the same position.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counterpart counterparts

During the heat of their federal antitrust trial in 2024, Albertsons’ then-CEO Vivek Sankaran called his counterpart at Kroger with a last-ditch request to help ease regulators’ concerns, according to the filing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

As well as announcing player deals, England also confirmed new-look backroom teams underneath Test head coach Stephen Fleming and white-ball counterpart Brendon McCullum.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Thursday to "do everything" to help end the Middle East war when he met Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian for talks ahead of a regional summit, Russian media reported.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Six months ago, a sustained push above 5% for the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield and its 30-year counterpart was viewed as unlikely.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

The one on the north bank was built against the bluff with the Red Keep frowning above,- its counterpart on the south shore had its footing in the water.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Antiquarks are counterparts to quarks whose certain properties have the same magnitude but opposite signs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Compared to their healthy counterparts who were not experiencing loneliness or social isolation, women experiencing those issues lived 2.4 fewer years free of physical disease, and men lived 1.7 fewer years disease-free.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

On Monday, Turkish officials and Pakistan’s foreign and defense ministers and army chief met with their counterparts in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to discuss how to “institutionalize” the pact, according to official statements.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

The BBC has also been told it was a military rather than a political decision - taken at an operational level - and communicated from the US military to its British counterparts.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

It means that young black children have continued to make gains relative to their white counterparts.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt