counterpart

American  

[koun-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

For the Russian side, protocol is paramount in official visits, making Naryshkin the formal counterpart to Ratcliffe on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

He said he had informed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone call of "the strengthening of our support with the delivery of interceptors and the continuation of our cooperation".

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Speaking to reporters briefly on Wednesday after a 45-minute meeting with his Canadian counterpart, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Americans are "very happy" with the latest discussions.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Today, America’s China trade policy is remarkably blunt: U.S. rules mostly treat the world’s second-largest economy as a single economic counterpart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Worse, Friday in the Muslim worid is a rough counterpart of Sunday in the Christian worid.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

While America's PGA Tour imposed blanket one-year bans on members who competed on the LIV tour, their European counterparts take a more nuanced approach.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

China's foreign and defence ministers were in Jakarta Friday for talks with their Indonesian counterparts to seek greater political and military cooperation days after a joint navy drill Taiwan blasted as a "provocation".

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

A Disneyland-inspired wonderland for their canine counterparts is what they were thinking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

As for how to invest, Barry and Hunter recommend holding on to 2-year/10-year “steepeners,” meaning is a bet that longer-term Treasury prices will underperform their shorter-term counterparts, driven by more supply and inflation concerns.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

It was also the case that Jamaica’s English elite, unlike their counterparts in the United States, had little interest in the grand project of nation building.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell