as in complaint
a court case brought against the plaintiff of another court case by the defendant
The defendant filed a counterclaim for his own injuries, claiming that he only rear-ended the plaintiff because she had stopped too fast.
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Recent Examples of counterclaim
Those officers then filed a counterclaim, and the court upheld their removal of Jones.
—
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2025
Buffett's widow, Jane Buffett, demanded the musician's financial advisor be removed as a co-trustee from the couple's marital trust in a counterclaim filed July 21.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
In the counterclaim, Harvey Weinstein asserted that Bob Weinstein and David Glasser took millions in unjustified payments before the bankruptcy, leaving it vulnerable to insolvency.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 July 2025
The verdict came June 1, 2022: Depp won his defamation claims, and Heard won one of her three counterclaims.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, People.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2025
Buffett's widow, Jane Buffett, demanded the musician's financial advisor be removed as a co-trustee from the couple's marital trust in a counterclaim filed July 21.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 24 July 2025
In the counterclaim, Harvey Weinstein asserted that Bob Weinstein and David Glasser took millions in unjustified payments before the bankruptcy, leaving it vulnerable to insolvency.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 July 2025
The verdict came June 1, 2022: Depp won his defamation claims, and Heard won one of her three counterclaims.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, People.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterclaim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterclaim
Noun
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But a butt dial revealed the truth about what actually happened, the complaint alleges.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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The site provides links to 14 private and government groups that accept and act on complaints, including the FBI, the Better Business Bureau, the Social Security Administration, AARP, the SEC, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Possible candidates for Grundyson’s replacement include Deputy Chief Laura Ragusa, who has a lawsuit pending against the city, and Deputy Chief James Dean.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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Smythson’s Portobello notebook—famously toted by Gwyneth Paltrow during her victorious lawsuit defense—also appears in this helpful planner iteration with a week-to-view layout.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The only period in modern times that carbon storage increased there was during a decade-long moratorium following protests and litigation.—
John P. O’Brien,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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The new location will allow Wiggam Law to support clients outside of downtown Atlanta and directly in Gwinnett County, offering legal services including audit defense, tax litigation, penalty abatement, innocent spouse relief and IRS collections representation.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Baldoni, who also acted on The CW dramedy Jane the Virgin, filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, though a judge threw it out in June.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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In June, Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was tossed out.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterclaim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterclaim. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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