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 1943: Soviet forces were able to stop the German Eastern front offensive in a counterattack at Kursk in southwest Russia.
—Daily Briefing, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
Trump mocks Iran’s counterattack The president, who has racked up a number of foreign policy victories in recent weeks, took time during Thursday’s event to poke fun at Iran for its response to U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities last month.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 4 July 2025
There were no reported casualties from Iran’s counterattack.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 23 June 2025
Meghan's team launched a PR counterattack in the pages of Us Weekly, where several past and present staffers praised her.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
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Daily Briefing, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
Trump mocks Iran’s counterattack The president, who has racked up a number of foreign policy victories in recent weeks, took time during Thursday’s event to poke fun at Iran for its response to U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities last month.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 4 July 2025
There were no reported casualties from Iran’s counterattack.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 23 June 2025
Meghan's team launched a PR counterattack in the pages of Us Weekly, where several past and present staffers praised her.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterattack
Cite this Entry
“Counterattack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterattack. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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