counterstep

noun

coun·​ter·​step ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌstep 

variants or counter-step

plural countersteps or counter-steps

: a step taken in opposition to another step

The countries seem headed into a period of tensions when every step is met with distrust and some counterstep, putting them on opposite sides of hotspots around the world, from Iran to Georgia to Kosovo.

—Steven Lee Myers

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined above