counterassault

noun

coun·​ter·​as·​sault ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈsȯlt 

variants or less commonly counter-assault

plural counterassaults also counter-assaults

: an assault undertaken in response to or in defense against an assault made by another

launching counterassaults against the enemy

… Army Rangers mounted a counter-assault, killing the terrorists and rescuing more than 900 kids and teachers.

—Dale Neal

Synonyms

• counterattack
• counteroffensive
• counterpunch
• counterstrike

Examples of counterassault in a Sentence

a feeble counterassault that proved to be entirely futile

Recent Examples on the Web

The Israeli counterassault over the last few days has killed at least 31 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip including seven children and four women, according to the U.N. humanitarian office. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023

The 77-minute siege ended with a counterassault led by a SWAT team from the US Border Patrol. —ABC News, 13 Feb. 2023

Another risk is that Russia’s invasion and the West’s financial counterassault could prove more economically disruptive than the pandemic. —Nick Timiraos, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022

Saturday’s assault included a volley of rockets that Ukrainian officials said damaged 47 apartment buildings and houses, adding that Ukraine cannot answer the attacks for fear that a counterassault would set off a radiation disaster. —Vivian Yee, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above