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counterattack

  (koun'tər-ə-tăk') pronunciation
n.

A return attack.

intr. & tr.v., -tacked, -tack·ing, -tacks. (koun'tər-ə-tăk')

To deliver a return attack or make a return attack against.


 
 

Attacking an attacker. Even though a criminal hacker or other agent is attempting to penetrate a security perimeter or damage systems, the counterattack must not violate applicable laws.



 
Thesaurus: counterattack

noun

    The act of retaliating: counteraction, counterblow, reciprocation, reprisal, requital, retaliation, retribution, revenge, tit for tat, vengeance. Idioms: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, like for like, measure for measure. See attack/defend, forgiveness/vindictiveness.

 
US Military Dictionary: counterattack

n.an attack by part or all of a defending force against an enemy attacking force, for such specific purposes as regaining lost ground or cutting off or destroying enemy advance units, and with the general objective of denying to the enemy the attainment of their purpose in attacking.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

 
Military Dictionary: counterattack

(DOD) Attack by part or all of a defending force against an enemy attacking force, for such specific purposes as regaining ground lost or cutting off or destroying enemy advance units, and with the general objective of denying to the enemy the attainment of the enemy's purpose in attacking. In sustained defensive operations, it is undertaken to restore the battle position and is directed at limited objectives. See also countermove; counteroffensive.

 
Word Tutor: counterattack
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A strong action made in return for another strong action against oneself.

pronunciation Because of the strength of the attack, they knew that their counterattack had to be swift and strong.

 
Wikipedia: counterattack
Closing the Falais-Argentan Pocket and the Mortain counterattack 6-17 August 1944
Enlarge
Closing the Falais-Argentan Pocket and the Mortain counterattack 6-17 August 1944

A counterattack is a military tactic used by defending forces when under attack by an enemy force. During their assault, the attackers may have become vulnerable through exhaustion, complacency, or placing themselves in unfavorable conditions. At the right moment, the defenders aggressively charge out of their fortifications, meeting and stunning their attackers directly, and gain the initiative. This can break a siege or change the tide of a battle. However, if the wrong moment is chosen, or a counterattack is poorly executed, a military disaster could result for the defending side, since the defenders are no longer protected by their fortifications.

Historical examples

In the history of warfare, the counterattack has been both used effectively and ineffectively.

During the Sicilian expedition from 415 to 413 BC, the Athenians were about to be victorious. However, one Syracusan line held, and pressed the attack, scattering and defeating the invading forces of the Athenian Empire.

At the Battle of Hefei in 217 AD, a defending force of less than 1000 men, led by the Cao Wei officer, Zhang Liao, successfully defeated the invading Sun Wu army of around 80,000 troops through a daring ambush and counterattack which cut the enemy army in half.

Colonel Joshua Chamberlain commanded the Twentieth Maine Regiment on Little Round Top on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The elite Rebel troops of John Bell Hood charged, but Chamberlain refused his lines, and then ordered a right wheel across the hill, with the result of a large destruction of the Confederate lines.

At the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, German Panther tanks exhausted themselves against Soviet anti-tank artillery. As soon as the Germans ended their advance, Soviet T-34 tanks flooded down a nearby ridge, "like rats" according to General Heinz Guderian. The Wehrmacht was scattered in the battle, with much of their lines destroyed. The Germans would never again launch an assault of that scale against the Soviets, and were on the defensive against the Soviet Union from then on.

Value of the counterattack

The consequence of the counterattack has been decisive throughout history. If the Athenians had won at Syracuse, the Greeks, not the Romans, might have dominated the ancient Mediterranean basin. Had the Soviets not won the Battle of Kursk, the Nazis would have dominated the Eastern Front for probably at least a year longer, delaying pressure on the Third Reich and most likely having a substantial effect on the war, if not its eventual outcome. Other decisive battles, as well, have been won or lost by counterattacks.

Other Uses


 
Translations: Translations for: Counterattack

Dansk (Danish)
n. - modangreb
v. tr., -
v. intr. - gå til modangreb

Nederlands (Dutch)
tegenaanval, counter, tot de tegenaanval overgaan, counteren

Français (French)
n. - contre-attaque (sur)
v. tr. - contre-attaquer
v. intr. - contre-attaquer

Deutsch (German)
v. - kontern, zurückschlagen
n. - Gegenangriff

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αντεπιτίθεμαι
n. - αντεπίθεση

Italiano (Italian)
contrattaccare, contrattacco

Português (Portuguese)
n. - contra-ataque (m)
v. - contra-atacar

Русский (Russian)
контратака

Español (Spanish)
n. - contraataque, contragolpe
v. tr. - contraatacar, contragolpear
v. intr. - hacer un contraataque o contragolpe

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - göra motanfall mot, göra motanfall
n. - motanfall, motstöt

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
反攻, 反击

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 反攻, 反擊
v. tr. - 反攻, 反擊
v. intr. - 反攻, 反擊

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 역습, 반격
v. tr. - 역습하다, 반격하다
v. intr. - 역습하다, 반격하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 反撃, 逆襲
v. - 反撃する, 逆襲する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) قام بهجوم معاكس (الاسم) هجوم مضاد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התקפת-נגד‬
v. tr. - ‮ערך התקפת-נגד‬
v. intr. - ‮ערך התקפת-נגד‬


 
 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
US Military Dictionary. The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Military Dictionary. US Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Words, 2003.  Read more
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