World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesCounterattack
/ˈkaʊn.tər.ə.tæk/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
An attack made in response to one by an opponent or enemy.
"The army launched a swift counterattack to regain the lost territory."
- 1
To attack an enemy or opponent in response to their attack.
"The team defended stubbornly before deciding to counterattack."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The term 'counterattack' is derived from the prefix 'counter-', meaning 'against', and 'attack', which comes from the Old French 'ataquer', meaning 'to attack'. The combination reflects a tactical response to an initial aggression, evolving in military contexts since the early 20th century.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Counterattack" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
contre-attaque
Transliteration: kɔ̃tʁə.atak
"L'équipe a marqué un but lors d'une contre-attaque rapide."
Gegenangriff
Transliteration: ˈɡeːɡənˌʔanɡʁɪf
"Die Truppen bereiteten einen sofortigen Gegenangriff vor."
contrattacco
Transliteration: kontratˈtakko
"La squadra ha segnato in contropiede."
contraataque
Transliteration: kontɾaataˈke
"El ejército organizó un contraataque decisivo."
contra-ataque
Transliteration: kõ.tɾa.aˈta.ki
"Eles marcaram o gol em um rápido contra-ataque."
प्रति-आक्रमण
Transliteration: prati-ākramaṇ
"सेना ने दुश्मन पर एक जोरदार प्रति-आक्रमण किया।"
反击
Transliteration: fǎnjī
"部队迅速组织了反击。"
반격
Transliteration: ban-gyeok
"군은 적의 공세에 맞서 반격을 개시했다."
反撃
Transliteration: hangeki
"チームはすぐに反撃に出て得点した。"
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