Counterclaim

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff secondary to the original complaint.
  2. 2
    a claim filed in opposition to another claim in a legal action wordnet
  3. 3
    A claim (assertion) that counters (disputes) another.

    "Develop claims and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claims and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases."

Verb
  1. 1
    To file a counterclaim. intransitive
  2. 2
    set up a claim in opposition to a previous claim wordnet

Example

More examples

"Develop claims and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claims and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases."

Etymology

From counter- + claim.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.