counteroffensive
noun
coun·ter·of·fen·sive
ˈkau̇n-tər-ə-ˌfen(t)-siv 
: a large-scale military offensive undertaken by a force previously on the defensive
Examples of counteroffensive in a Sentence
They mounted a counteroffensive against the enemy.
the army launched a counteroffensive at dawn
Recent Examples on the Web
What happened instead was three years of intense fighting, thanks to Ukraine counteroffensives armed by tranches of aid coming from its Western allies.
—
Lou Robinson, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
In northeastern Ukraine, Russian shelling killed a civilian in Kupiansk, a key logistics hub that was liberated from Russian occupation during Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Workers from across the federal government set off a legal counteroffensive against President Trump and Elon Musk on Tuesday, challenging the legality of efforts to raze their agencies, single them out publicly or push them out of their jobs.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
As Democrats on Capitol Hill and in blue states come up with counteroffensives, others on the political left at the grassroots level said advocacy groups will have to be more disciplined with raising awareness and picking strategic battles.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
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Lou Robinson, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
In northeastern Ukraine, Russian shelling killed a civilian in Kupiansk, a key logistics hub that was liberated from Russian occupation during Ukraine’s 2022 counteroffensive.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Workers from across the federal government set off a legal counteroffensive against President Trump and Elon Musk on Tuesday, challenging the legality of efforts to raze their agencies, single them out publicly or push them out of their jobs.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
As Democrats on Capitol Hill and in blue states come up with counteroffensives, others on the political left at the grassroots level said advocacy groups will have to be more disciplined with raising awareness and picking strategic battles.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counteroffensive
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Cite this Entry
“Counteroffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counteroffensive. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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counteroffensive
noun
coun·ter·of·fen·sive
ˈkau̇nt-ə-rə-ˌfen(t)-siv
: a large-scale counterattack
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