counterattack

noun

coun·​ter·​at·​tack ˈkau̇n-tər-ə-ˌtak 

variants or counter-attack

plural counterattacks or counter-attacks

: an attack made in response to or in defense against an attack made by another

a series of attacks and counterattacks

Iraqi forces are advancing into the city of Fallujah, repelling a counter-attack by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) on Tuesday …

—Jack Moore

counterattack

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈtak 

verb, transitive + intransitive

or counter-attack

counterattacked or counter-attacked; counterattacking or counter-attacking

Syrian rebels including jihadists counter-attacked the army and its allies on Friday aiming to break a weeks-long siege on eastern Aleppo, insurgents said.

—Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall

counterattacker

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈta-kər 

noun

or counter-attacker

plural counterattackers or counter-attackers

Finally, the big man, bleeding profusely, succeeded in throwing his counterattacker off him.

—Andrew M. Greeley

Synonyms

• counterassault
• counteroffensive
• counterpunch
• counterstrike

Examples of counterattack in a Sentence

suddenly the tide of battle turned, and the rebels, who had been falling back, made a furious counterattack

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite a formal statement by Ukrainian command that the withdrawal was a strategic retreat, first-hand accounts from soldiers collected by the BBC describe panic and confusion when Russian forces, supported by North Korean troops, launched a fierce counterattack earlier this month. —Katya Soldak, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

But when a counterattack opportunity itself three minutes into stoppage team, SDFC — which really does need some sort of nickname — aced one more test. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

Russian assaults in this area, if successful, could spoil the counterattacks. —David Axe, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Quinn Hughes turned the puck over at one point, and Seattle was off to the races on a two-on-one counterattack. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterattack

• ammoniac
• biofeedback
• demoniac
• elegiac
• noncardiac
• paranoiac
• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback

Kids Definition

counterattack

noun

coun·​ter·​at·​tack

ˈkau̇nt-ə-rə-ˌtak

: an attack made to counter an enemy's attack

counterattack verb