as in counter
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
the belief that higher interest rates are an effective counterforce to inflationary pressures
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Recent Examples of counterforce
Achieving peace in Gaza will therefore require a counterforce to Israel’s domestic political pressures.
—
Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
The idea is for two pylons to be attached to a special structure on the tower with cables that are expected to exert a counterforce should the tower start tipping more dangerously.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Lynch’s portrayal of Rita — a fiercely independent woman with a strong sense of her beliefs — is inspired, a quiet, grounding counterforce to Ben-Adir’s moodier depiction.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
First was the possibility that the United States was building new conventional weapons that could be used to attack China’s nuclear forces, a strategy known as conventional counterforce.
—M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for counterforce
Eric Levitz, Vox, 3 June 2024
The idea is for two pylons to be attached to a special structure on the tower with cables that are expected to exert a counterforce should the tower start tipping more dangerously.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Lynch’s portrayal of Rita — a fiercely independent woman with a strong sense of her beliefs — is inspired, a quiet, grounding counterforce to Ben-Adir’s moodier depiction.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
First was the possibility that the United States was building new conventional weapons that could be used to attack China’s nuclear forces, a strategy known as conventional counterforce.
—M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for counterforce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterforce
Noun
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Hodges and Cruz were waiting in the sandwich line at the deli counter at Joe’s Grocery, on Lenox Ave.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
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LEDs under the bathroom counter or cabinets and over the bathroom vanity can also provide ideal night lighting.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2025
Noun
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But markets are betting that making the 2017 tax cuts permanent as well as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, with only partial revenue offsets, will aggravate the fiscal problems.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
21 May 2025
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Those efforts and the pandemic pause significantly reduced the number of seniors facing offsets.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Executives then built portfolios of projects and identified combinations that would deliver the best balance between return and risk.—
Tim Koller,
Time,
20 May 2025
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Acknowledging that value is very important at this time to customers, del Rey said that there is a balance to be found with price and making sure to bring a suite of benefits.—
Alexandra Pastore,
Footwear News,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterforce. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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