Meaning & use
countercharge
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Meanings
nouncountablelegal
An accusation made in reply to an accusation, especially in a court case or dispute.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or 'the', and can be plural: countercharges.
Patterns
- make a countercharge against someone
- file a countercharge
- a countercharge of something
The defendant made a countercharge of false imprisonment against the police.
After the manager accused the player of cheating, the player's lawyer filed a countercharge of defamation.
The debate turned ugly when each candidate responded with a countercharge about the other's business dealings.
nouncountablemilitary
A military attack made in response to an enemy attack.
Grammar: Countable; used in military contexts, often with verbs like 'launch' or 'mount'.
Patterns
- launch a countercharge
- mount a countercharge against something
- lead a countercharge
The general ordered a countercharge to retake the hill lost earlier that morning.
The infantry launched a fierce countercharge, pushing the enemy back across the river.
A swift countercharge caught the attackers off guard and broke their advance.
verbtransitivelegal
To accuse someone in return after they have accused you.
Grammar: Takes an object: countercharge someone. Often used in legal or formal arguments.
Patterns
- countercharge someone with something
- countercharge that ...
The company countercharged the former employee with theft of trade secrets.
She countercharged him with harassment after he filed a complaint against her.
The senator countercharged that the committee had ignored key evidence.
Word forms
| plural | countercharges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | countercharges |
| past tense | countercharged |
| past participle | countercharged |
| present participle | countercharging |
Common combinations
- make a countercharge
- The defense lawyer made a countercharge of misconduct against the prosecutor.
- file a countercharge
- The victim decided to file a countercharge against her attacker.
- launch a countercharge
- The troops launched a countercharge at dawn.
- countercharge someone with
- They countercharged him with fraud.
- a countercharge of
- He faced a countercharge of bribery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- counteraccusation
- Very similar, but counteraccusation is more general and less formal; countercharge is more common in legal and military contexts.
- retort
- A retort is a quick, often witty reply; a countercharge is a formal accusation in return, not just a verbal comeback.
- counterattack
- Counterattack is mainly military or sports; countercharge can also be legal or verbal.
Word family
- charge noun
- An accusation or a military attack; the base word from which countercharge is formed.
- counterchargeable adjective
- Rare; describes something that can be countercharged.
Commonly confused: countercharge or counterchange? countercharge or charge?
countercharge vs counterchange
Counterchange means to change in return or to interchange, often used in heraldry; it is not the same as countercharge.
countercharge vs charge
Charge is the original accusation or attack; countercharge is the response to it.
Practice
After being accused of theft, the man decided to ______ his accuser with defamation.
Choose one answer.
Countercharge fits because it means to accuse someone in return after being accused. 'Charge' would mean to accuse first, not in return. 'Counterchange' means to change in return, which is unrelated. 'Counterattack' is military or sports, not legal accusation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “countercharge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.