counterpart

[koun-ter-pahrt]

See more synonyms for counterpart on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function: Our president is the counterpart of your prime minister.
a copy; duplicate.
Law. a duplicate or copy of an indenture.

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

Origin of counterpart

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for counterparts

supplement, correspondent, fellow, like, correlate, opposite, obverse, equivalent, tally, doppelganger, duplicate, equal, twin, mate, correlative, ringer, analogue, copy, complement, ditto

Examples from the Web for counterparts

Contemporary Examples of counterparts

But Secretary of State John Kerry has worked closely with his Turkish counterparts to reach an Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Turkish Leader Doubles Down on Blaming Israel for Anti-Semitism
Eli Lake
August 6, 2014
The CIA has conducted espionage operations inside Germany for decades without telling their counterparts.
One Big Reason The CIA Spied on Germany: Worries About Russian Moles in Berlin
Eli Lake
July 12, 2014
During that deployment, as an adviser, I met with Iraqi counterparts weekly, sometimes more.
The View of Iraq From Troops in Afghanistan
Nick Willard
June 25, 2014
In January, French riot police were brought in to train their Brazilian counterparts.
Brazil’s World Cup Is An Expensive, Exploitative Nightmare
Vac Verikaitis
May 30, 2014
The armed forces of NATO members have also been working with their counterparts in the Russian military, on and off, for years.
Germany Helped Prep Russia for War, U.S. Sources Say
Josh Rogin
April 22, 2014

Historical Examples of counterparts

They were counterparts of each other, except in one small particular.
Victor's Triumph
Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
Yet their counterparts can still be seen along the Norwegian coast.
All Afloat
William Wood
And as it was in this stage, so the other stages were counterparts.
Five Little Peppers at School
Margaret Sidney
Does the world, Senor, contain the stuff to make their counterparts?
Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr
These lions are precisely the counterparts of those in the doorways of Modena and Verona.
The Cathedral Builders
Leader Scott

British Dictionary definitions for counterparts

counterpart

noun

a person or thing identical to or closely resembling another
one of two parts that complement or correspond to each other
a person acting opposite another in a play
a duplicate, esp of a legal document; copy

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

Word Origin and History for counterparts

counterpart

mid-15c., originally countre part "duplicate of a legal document," from Middle French contrepartie, from contre "facing, opposite" (see contra-) + partie "copy of a person or thing," originally fem. past participle of partir "to divide" (see party (n.)).