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
Jack Moore
counterattack
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
Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall
counterattacker
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
Andrew M. Greeley
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
In the fifth minute, Bay FC sprung the counterattack with Taylor Huff delivering a perfect pass to Racheal Kundananjii.
—Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Benjamin Sesko took a simple pass from Bruno Fernandes to finish off a swift counterattack and assure the talismanic midfielder of his 19th assist of the season, a league high, and only one away from equalling the Premier League record.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Reynolds, the field commander for the 1980s counterattack, was a wealthy corporate lawyer with minimal experience in discrimination law when Reagan named him to the civil rights job.
—Ronald Brownstein, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026
The View From Republicans The GOP’s counterattack started even before Spanberger won.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
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Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Benjamin Sesko took a simple pass from Bruno Fernandes to finish off a swift counterattack and assure the talismanic midfielder of his 19th assist of the season, a league high, and only one away from equalling the Premier League record.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Reynolds, the field commander for the 1980s counterattack, was a wealthy corporate lawyer with minimal experience in discrimination law when Reagan named him to the civil rights job.
—Ronald Brownstein, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026
The View From Republicans The GOP’s counterattack started even before Spanberger won.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
Cite this Entry
“Counterattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterattack. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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