counter

1 of 7

noun (1)

count·​er ˈkau̇n-tər 

1

: a piece (as of metal or plastic) used in reckoning or in games

2

: something of value in bargaining : asset

3

: a level surface (such as a table, shelf or display case) over which transactions are conducted or food is served or on which goods are displayed or work is conducted

jewelry counter

a lunch counter

counter

2 of 7

noun (2)

count·​er ˈkau̇n-tər 

plural counters

: a person or thing that counts something

… I would just tell them I am a very fast counter.

—Judy Blume

especially : a device or process for indicating a number or amount

a counter that records how many times a website is visited

As they entered the main door on Fifth Avenue, the guard clicked off two numbers on his people counter.

—E. L. Konigsburg

counter

3 of 7

verb

coun·​ter ˈkau̇n-tər 

countered; countering ˈkau̇n-t(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to act in opposition to : oppose

b

: offset, nullify

tried to counter the trend toward depersonalization

2

: to assert in answer

We countered that our warnings had been ignored.

intransitive verb

: to meet attacks or arguments with defensive or retaliatory steps

counter

4 of 7

adverb

coun·​ter ˈkau̇n-tər 

1

: in an opposite or wrong direction

2

: to or toward a different or opposite direction, result, or effect

values that run counter to those of society

counter

5 of 7

noun (3)

coun·​ter ˈkau̇n-tər 

1

: contrary, opposite

2

: the after portion of a boat from the waterline to the extreme outward swell or stern overhang

3

a

: the act of making an attack while parrying one (as in boxing)

also : a blow thus given in boxing

b

: an agency or force that offsets : check

4

: a stiffener to give permanent form to a boot or shoe upper around the heel

5

: an area within the face of a letter wholly or partly enclosed by strokes

6

: a football play in which the ballcarrier goes in a direction opposite to the movement of the play

counter

6 of 7

adjective

coun·​ter ˈkau̇n-tər 

1

: marked by or tending toward or in an opposite direction or effect

2

: given to or marked by opposition, hostility, or antipathy

3

: situated or lying opposite

the counter side

4

: recalling or ordering back by a superseding contrary order : countermanding

counter orders from the colonel

counter-

7 of 7

prefix

1

a

: contrary : opposite

counterclockwise

countermarch

b

: opposing : retaliatory

counterforce

counteroffensive

2

: complementary : corresponding

counterweight

counterpart

3

: duplicate : substitute

counterfoil

Phrases

over the counter

1

: in or through a broker's office rather than through a stock exchange

stock bought over the counter

2

: without a prescription

drugs available over the counter

under the counter

: by surreptitious means : in an illicit and private manner

workers being paid under the counter

Synonyms

Verb

• battle
• combat
• contend (with)
• fight
• oppose
• oppugn

Noun (3)

• balance
• canceler
• canceller
• corrective
• counteraction
• counterbalance
• counterforce
• counterpoise
• counterweight
• equipoise
• neutralizer
• offset

Adjective

• adverse
• disadvantageous
• hostile
• inimical
• negative
• prejudicial
• unfavorable
• unfriendly
• unsympathetic
• untoward

Examples of counter in a Sentence

Verb

When they blamed him for the collapse of the bridge, he countered that his warnings about the bridge had been ignored.

“I could say the same thing about you,” she countered.

After she made her point, he could not counter with anything.

Adjective

was unprepared for such a strong counter campaign by opponents of the legislative bill

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The first film sparked a powerful counter movement in the industry. —Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

Across the country, last-minute watchers scrambled to drug-store counters in hopes of finding a pair of protective eclipse glasses, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology issued warnings about the signs of retina damage in those who viewed without precautions. —USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

Present the GoodRx Gold card at the pharmacy counter or show the app to access savings. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024

Thinking the machine was broken, the couple took the ticket to the counter to confirm their winnings. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024

This is a professional salon-style brand that’s recently been available over the counter to every day men. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Back to top Is tretinoin available over the counter? —Krissy Brady, SELF, 2 Apr. 2024

The product is an anticoagulant that's sold over the counter at drugstores around the country. —Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024

Narcan, the nasal spray version of naloxone, has received F.D.A. approval to be sold over the counter and should be widely available by late summer. —Mike Baker, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024

Verb

To counter the Chinese presence, the Philippines built a new coast guard station on Thitu last year. —Emily Feng, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024

The mobilization issue in Ukraine has been a point of contention between Mr. Zelensky and some of his military commanders, who said last year that the nation would need as many as 500,000 new recruits of its own to counter the Russian threat. —Marc Santora, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Don’t expect things to run smoothly, and be ready to counter any negativity that comes your way. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

Normalizing Israeli-Saudi relations is an appealing way to undergird peace and stability in the region and to counter Iran’s malign influence in the long term, but accomplishing it requires complicated political scaffolding that has yet to be fully designed, much less erected. —Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024

Alexandria, Virginia native Dickinson had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 75-70 loss to Purdue during the 2022-23 season in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Edey, a 7-4, 300-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, countered with 19 points and nine boards. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024

China's official Xinhua News Agency said the two sides had agreed to discuss a range of issues including balanced growth of the United States, China and the global economy as well as financial stability, sustainable finance and cooperation in countering money laundering. —Fatima Hussein and Ken Moritsugu, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024

Among other topics that Yellen plans to discuss with her Chinese counterparts include bilateral cooperation on countering illicit finance and working on global issues such as climate change and financial stability, according to the Treasury Department. —Laura He, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

The massive steel sphere moves back and forth slightly, enough to counter any movement. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

Adverb

Russian lawmakers quickly passed a law: 15-year prison terms for pushing narratives counter to the government version. —Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Such an early experience made his path clear and inspired his beliefs, which go surprisingly counter to the mainstream. —Kyle Russell, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

This is, of course, counter to conventional medical wisdom, which recommends people eat no more than three portions of red meat per week to reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues or colorectal cancer. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024

Available in four colors, including matte black and icy blue, the appliance will look just as good parked on your kitchen counter as it would be tucked away in a cabinet. —Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024

To their left sat Hit-Boy, the song’s producer, while Big Hit — Hit-Boy’s father — served as a human money counter on their right, throwing bills and twisting fingers. —Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024

This allows each person in your home to decorate their own house without dedicating your entire kitchen counter to displaying the gingerbread village all season long. —Nicole Pyles, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2023

Alicia left bar work and began delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service and working the deli counter at a grocery store on her days off. —Eli Hager, ProPublica, 16 Oct. 2023

But counter to Philippone’s strategy, China reportedly asked Iranian officials for help stopping Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. —Ethan Barton, Fox News, 14 Feb. 2024

Adjective

Best Restaurants The Fox Located in the historic Avondale neighborhood, The Fox exudes diner vibes with its long counter, swivel stools, open kitchen, town gossip, and wall-to-wall pop culture memorabilia. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2024

If the action leads to trade restrictions, it could be met with counter restrictions from Beijing. —Aarian Marshall Will Knight, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024

For Ukraine, that includes airpower, both fighter jets and drones; electronic-warfare capability to counter Russian jamming; and counter-battery fire to locate and target Russian artillery systems. —Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024

This is counter to the way NASA traditionally develops its rockets. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2024

The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization is counter to normal practice with the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members. —Lolita C. Baldor, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024

Hatred and antisemitism are completely counter to the university’s values, and the safety and well-being of our community must be our highest priorities. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2023

The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization is counter to normal practice with other senior U.S. and Cabinet officials, including the president. —Lolita C. Baldor, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2024

Contrary to surface appearances, this constant motion of my life has been involuntary and counter to my desires. —Kate Christensen, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English countour, countere "table used for counting money or auditing accounts, metal disk used for arithmetic calculations," borrowed from Anglo-French countour, comptor (Middle French compteor "table used by a merchant to display wares and count money"), from conter, compter, cunter "to count, calculate, count as valid, relate, narrate" + -our, -or (Middle French -eoir), going back to Latin -ātōrium, from -ā-, stem formative of verbs + -tōrium, suffix denoting a place or object used for the activity of the verb (from neuter of -tōrius, adjective derivative of the agent noun -tōr-, -tor) — more at count entry 1

Note: See note at counter entry 2.

Noun (2)

Middle English countour, cowntere "person who counts or calculates, official who oversees the collection of taxes, pleader in court (who makes the conte, a formal statement of the basis of the case)," borrowed from Anglo-French cunteor, cuntur, countur "narrator, informant, pleader in court," from conter, compter, cunter "to count, calculate, count as valid, relate, narrate" + -eur, -ur, going back to Latin -ātōr-, -ātor, from -ā-, stem formative of verbs + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix — more at count entry 1

Note: counter entry 1 and counter entry 2 have been homonyms since Middle English and were likely already homonyms in Anglo-French. They are separated here and in the Oxford English Dictionary, though the Middle English Dictionary treats them under a single lemma. In modern French they are distinct, with counter entry 1 corresponding to comptoir and counter entry 2 corresponding to conteur, though conteur is now used to mean "storyteller," as the base verb conter usually means "recount, relate."

Verb

Middle English countren, contren "to act against, oppose, contradict," derivative of contre counter entry 4 or its source, Anglo-French contre

Adverb

Middle English countre, countir, borrowed from Anglo-French contre, cuntre "against, in opposition to," going back to Latin contrā, adverb and preposition, "opposite, facing, against" — more at contra-

Noun (3)

derivative of counter entry 4 and counter entry 6; (sense 2) perhaps of distinct origin

Adjective

in part derivative of counter entry 4, in part independent use of counter--

Prefix

borrowed from Anglo-French contre-, cuntre- (also Middle French contre-), prefixal use of contre counter entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing counter

• bargaining counter
• counter-accusation
• bean counter
• counter-adaptive
• counter-agent
• counter-argue
• counter-assault
• counter-argument
• counter-attack
• counter-blockade
• counter-blow
• counter-campaign
• counter-charge
• counter check
• counter-complaint
• counter-conspiracy
• counter-convention
• counter-countermeasure
• counter-coup
• counter-cry
• counter-demand
• counter-demonstration
• counter-demonstrate
• counter-demonstrator
• counter-deployment
• counter-evidence
• counter-force
• counter-hypothesis
• counter-image
• counter-incentive
• counter-influence
• counter-instance
• counter-invasion
• counter-memo
• counter-movement
• counter-move
• counter-myth
• counter-narrative
• counter-order
• counter-picket
• counter-play
• counter-power
• counter-project
• counter-protest
• counter-rally
• counter-reform
• counter-raid
• counter-question
• counter-shot
• counter-response
• counter-reaction
• counter-reformer
• counter-strategist
• counter-strike
• counter-step
• counter space
• counter-state
• counter-spell
• counter-suit
• counter-style
• counter-sue
• counter-tendency
• counter-threat
• counter-tradition
• counter-terrorism
• counter-trend
• counter-value
• Geiger counter
• counter-world
• Geiger-Müller counter
• lunch counter
• run counter to
• over the counter
• scintillation counter
• under the counter
• counter-bid
• counter-criticism
• counter-advertising
• counter-blast
• counter-adaptation
• counter-aggression
• counter-institution
• counter-effort
• counter-inflation
• counter-inflationary
• counter-petition
• counter-government
• counter-education
• counter-propaganda
• counter-thrust
• counter-sniper
• counter-attacker
• counter-educational
• counter-retaliation
• counter-pressure
• counter-surveillance
• counter-stroke
• counter-fire
• counter-interpretation
• counter-stream
• counter-violence
• counter-mobilization
• counter-ploy
• counter-statement
• counter-strategy
• counter-terror
• counter-tactics
• counter-suggestion
• counter-protester

Kids Definition

counter

1 of 7 noun

count·​er ˈkau̇nt-ər 

1

: a piece (as of metal or plastic) used in counting or in games

2

: a level surface (as a table) over which business is done or food is served or on which goods are displayed

counter

2 of 7 noun

count·​er

: one that counts

especially : a device for indicating a number or amount

counter

3 of 7 verb

coun·​ter

ˈkau̇nt-ər

countered; countering ˈkau̇nt-ə-riŋ 

ˈkau̇n-triŋ

1

: to act in opposition to : oppose

countering the claim for damages

2

: to give a blow in return

counter with a left hook

counter

4 of 7 adverb

coun·​ter

: in another or opposite direction

acting counter to advice

counter

5 of 7 noun

coun·​ter

1

: the act of giving a return blow

2

: the blow given

counter

6 of 7 adjective

coun·​ter

1

: moving in an opposite direction

the ship slowed by counter tides

2

: designed to oppose

a counter opinion

counter-

7 of 7 prefix

coun·​ter-

1

a

: contrary : opposite

counterclockwise

b

: opposing : retaliatory

counteroffensive

2

: like : matching

counterpart

Etymology

Noun

Middle English countour "something used in counting," from early French countour (same meaning), from Latin computatorium "a place for counting or keeping accounts," from earlier computare "to count, compute" — related to count entry 1, compute

Verb

Middle English countren "to oppose," from early French contre "against" — related to contra-, counter-

Prefix

derived from Latin contra "against, opposite" — related to contra-

Medical Definition

counter

1 of 2 noun

count·​er ˈkau̇nt-ər 

: a level surface over which transactions are conducted or food is served or on which goods are displayed or work is conducted

a lunch counter

counter

2 of 2 noun

: one that counts

especially : a device for indicating a number or amount see geiger counter

Legal Definition

counter-

prefix

coun·​ter-

ˈkau̇n-tər

1

a

: contrary : opposite

counterletter

b

: opposing : retaliatory

counteraction

2

: complementary : corresponding

countersign

3

: duplicate : substitute

counterpart