countermand

1 of 2

verb

coun·​ter·​mand ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌmand  ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈmand 

countermanded; countermanding; countermands

transitive verb

1

: to revoke (a command) by a contrary order

2

: to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order

countermand reinforcements

countermand

2 of 2

noun

coun·​ter·​mand ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌmand 

1

: a contrary order

2

: the revocation of an order or command

Did you know?

In the military, one's mandate is to follow the commands (and sometimes the countermands) of the officers. Doing their bidding is not particularly commendable—it's simply mandatory. The Latin verb mandare, meaning "to entrust" or "to order," is the authority behind countermand. It's also behind the words mandate, command, demand, commend (which can mean "to entrust" as well as "to praise"), and mandatory. Countermand came to English via Anglo French, where the prefix cuntre- ("against") was combined with the verb mander ("to command"). It has been a part of English since the 1400s.

Examples of countermand in a Sentence

Verb

Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The ship’s first mate ordered the Arlington onto a course to hug the Canadian North Shore, which would have provided some cover from wind and waves, but Burke countermanded and ordered his ship back onto a course across the open lake, the discoverers said. —Apress, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2024

His words highlight the fallacy that military leaders might act as a check on political leaders bent on starting a nuclear war: military officials in Cuba were never going to countermand political authorities in Moscow. —Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2023

Captain Burke, however, countermanded the order and ordered his ship back on its course across the open lake. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024

But several policing experts said that creating that kind of training presented a challenge because countermanding orders from an incident commander went against the very orientation of most police departments. —Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 24 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English countermaunden, from Anglo-French cuntremander, from cuntre- counter- + mander to command, from Latin mandare — more at mandate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

countermand

verb

coun·​ter·​mand

ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌmand,

ˌkau̇nt-ər-ˈmand

1

: to cancel a previous command

2

: to recall or order back by a contrary order