1. a lawsuit filed by a defendant against a plaintiff in response to the plaintiff's original lawsuit
Usage: legal term; also called a counterclaim in some contexts

Examples

• The defendant filed a countersuit alleging that the plaintiff had breached their contract first.
• After being sued for damages, the company responded with a countersuit against its former business partner.
• The judge allowed both the original suit and the countersuit to proceed in the same trial.
• A countersuit can sometimes result in a settlement that resolves both claims.
• The attorney advised her client to consider filing a countersuit rather than simply defending against the charges.