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Meaning & use

counterclaim

noun, verb·Academiclegal

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UK/ˈkaʊntəkleɪm/
US/ˈkaʊntɚkleɪm/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablelegal

    A claim made against the person who first sued you, filed in the same case as your response.

    Grammar: Countable; filed or brought against someone: a counterclaim against the landlord.

    Patterns

    • file a counterclaim
    • a counterclaim against someone

    The tenant filed a counterclaim against the landlord for unpaid repairs.

    The company responded to the lawsuit with a counterclaim for damages.

    The judge allowed the counterclaim to be heard along with the original case.

  2. nouncountable

    Any statement that answers or opposes an earlier claim in an argument or debate.

    Grammar: Outside law, it means a reply that disputes an earlier statement.

    Patterns

    • make a counterclaim

    The minister's counterclaim was that the figures had been misread.

    The article offers a counterclaim to the popular theory.

    She made a counterclaim that the study had left out important data.

  3. verbtransitive or intransitivelegal

    To make a claim in reply to someone else's claim, especially in a legal case.

    Grammar: Can take an object or a clause: they counterclaimed that the contract was void.

    Patterns

    • counterclaim that something
    • counterclaim for something

    The defendant counterclaimed for the cost of the damaged goods.

    They counterclaimed that the supplier had broken the agreement first.

    He counterclaimed and demanded a full refund.

Word forms

pluralcounterclaims
third person singularcounterclaims
past tensecounterclaimed
past participlecounterclaimed
-ing formcounterclaiming

Common combinations

file a counterclaim
The firm filed a counterclaim within thirty days.
counterclaim for damages
They submitted a counterclaim for damages.
dismiss a counterclaim
The court dismissed the counterclaim.
bring a counterclaim
The defendant brought a counterclaim against the bank.
counterclaim that
He counterclaimed that the delay was the buyer's fault.

Synonyms and how they differ

rebuttal
A rebuttal argues against a claim to prove it wrong, but a counterclaim adds a new claim of its own.
cross-claim
A cross-claim is made against someone on the same side of a case, while a counterclaim is made against the opposing party.
countercharge
A countercharge is an accusation made in reply, usually less formal than a legal counterclaim.

Word family

claim noun
a statement that something is true, or a demand for something owed
claim verb
to say something is true, or to demand something owed
claimant noun
a person who makes a legal claim
counterclaimant noun
the party who makes a counterclaim

Commonly confused: counterclaim or counterargument?

counterclaim vs counterargument

A counterargument is a reasoned reply in a debate. A counterclaim is a formal assertion, often a legal demand for something.

Practice

After being sued for unpaid rent, the tenant filed a ___ saying the landlord had ignored needed repairs.

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