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

counterattack

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈtak 

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

counterattacker

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈta-kər 

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

Synonyms

• counterassault
• counteroffensive
• counterpunch
• counterstrike

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

The virus’s components have strong similarities to our own cells’ bits and pieces, making our immune systems less likely to launch full-scale counterattacks. —Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024

To what degree Russia might feel the need to involve itself with any counterattack remains to be seen. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

Putin as a child is shown being beaten by Russian classmates and, again, the character’s counterattacks seem distinctly Putin-like. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2024

And in the days and weeks that followed, Russian forces seemed unable to mount a significant counterattack. —Peter Pomerantsev, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

counterattack

noun

coun·​ter·​at·​tack

ˈkau̇nt-ə-rə-ˌtak

: an attack made to counter an enemy's attack

counterattack verb