Standard Lemma guide

countermove

noun · verb · 3 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

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CMU ARPABET: K AW1 N T ER0 M UW2 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

noun

Meaning 1

A move in opposition or response to a preceding move.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

move and countermove

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

verb

Meaning 2

To move in opposition or in retaliation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 3

an attack by a defending force against an attacking enemy force in order to regain lost ground or cut off enemy advance units etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: counterattack

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attack, onslaught, onset, onrush

Narrower terms: riposte

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- Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh1- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh1éyetider. Proto-Italic *moweō Latin movēre Old Northern French moverbor. Middle English moven English move English countermove From counter- + move.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

Finnish: vastaliike — move in opposition or response
Swedish: motdrag — move in opposition or response

Word forms

Inflections and variants

countermoves — plural
countermoves — present, singular, third-person
countermoving — participle, present
countermoved — participle, past
countermoved — past

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: none provided

Related: none provided

Semantic map

Other relationships

Hypernyms: attack, onslaught, onset, onrush

Hyponyms: riposte

Sources

Where this information comes from

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