Standard Lemma guide

counterclaim

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AW1 N T ER0 K L EY2 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff secondary to the original complaint.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: countersuit

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A claim (assertion) that counters (disputes) another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: counterassertion

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To file a counterclaim.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a claim filed in opposition to another claim in a legal action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: legal action, action, action at law

5

verb

Meaning 5

set up a claim in opposition to a previous claim

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: claim

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- English claim English counterclaim From counter- + claim.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: teeneis — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Armenian: հակընդդեմ հայց (hakənddem haycʻ) — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Chinese Mandarin: 反訴 /反诉 (fǎnsù) — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Chinese Mandarin: 反訴狀 /反诉状 (fǎnsùzhuàng) — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Dutch: tegeneis — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Dutch: eis in reconventie — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Finnish: vastakanne — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • French: demande reconventionnelle — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • German: Widerklage — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Greek: ανταγωγή (antagogí) — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Irish: frithéileamh — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Italian: riconvenzione — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Italian: controquerela — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Polish: roszczenie wzajemne — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Polish: powództwo wzajemne — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Polish: kontrpozew — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Portuguese: reconvenção — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Russian: встречный иск (vstrečnyj isk) — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Spanish: reconvención — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Swedish: genkäromål — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff
  • Tagalog: ganting-habol — suit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff