coun·ter
1 (kouńtər)
[Middle English countre, from Old French contre, from Latin contrā; see counter–.]
adjective
- Contrary; opposing: moves and counter moves on the checkerboard.
noun
- One that is an opposite.
- Sports A boxing blow given while receiving or parrying another.
- Sports A fencing parry in which one foil follows the other in a circular fashion.
- A stiff piece of leather around the heel of a shoe.
- Nautical The portion of a ship's stern extending from the water line to the extreme outward swell.
- Printing The depression between the raised lines of the face on a piece of type.
verb: -tered, -ter·ing, -ters.
transitive verb
- To meet or return (a blow) by another blow.
- To move or act in opposition to; oppose.
- To offer in response: countered that she was too busy to be thorough.
intransitive verb
- To move, act, or respond so as to be in opposition.
adverb
- In a contrary manner or direction.
- To or toward an opposite or dissimilar course or outcome: a method running counter to traditional techniques.
count·er
2 (kouńtər)
[Middle English countour, from Anglo-Norman counteour, from Medieval Latin computātōrium, countinghouse, from Latin computāre, to calculate; see count1.]
noun
- A flat surface on which money is counted, business is transacted, or food is prepared or served.
- Games A piece, as of wood or ivory, used for keeping a count or a place.
- An imitation coin; a token.
- A piece of money.
idioms
- over the counter
- Without being listed or available on an officially recognized stock exchange but traded in direct negotiation between buyers and sellers: bought stocks over the counter. Without a doctor's prescription being legally required: cold medicine that is available over the counter.
- under the counter
- In an illegal or surreptitious manner; illicitly: arrested for selling prescription drugs under the counter.
count·er
3 (kouńtər)
noun
- One that counts, especially an electronic or mechanical device that automatically counts occurrences or repetitions of phenomena or events.
