What does Counter mean?

Definitions for Counter
ˈkaʊn tərcounter

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Counter.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. counternoun

    table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted

  2. counternoun

    game equipment (as a piece of wood, plastic, or ivory) used for keeping a count or reserving a space in various card or board games

  3. counter, tabulatornoun

    a calculator that keeps a record of the number of times something happens

  4. buffet, counter, sideboardnoun

    a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers

  5. counternoun

    a person who counts things

  6. rejoinder, retort, return, riposte, replication, comeback, counternoun

    a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

    "it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher"

  7. counternoun

    (computer science) a register whose contents go through a regular series of states (usually states indicating consecutive integers)

  8. counter, heel counternoun

    a piece of leather forming the back of a shoe or boot

    "a counter may be used to stiffen the material around the heel and to give support to the foot"

  9. counterpunch, parry, counteradjective

    a return punch (especially by a boxer)

  10. antagonistic, counterverb

    indicating opposition or resistance

  11. counterverb

    speak in response

    "He countered with some very persuasive arguments"

  12. anticipate, foresee, forestall, counteradverb

    act in advance of; deal with ahead of time

  13. counteradverb

    in the opposite direction

    "run counter"

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Counteradverb

    Etymology: contre, Fr. contra, Latin.

    Shall we erect two wills in Gods, and make the will of his purpose and intention run counter to the will of his approbation? Robert South, Sermons.

    The profit of the merchant, and the gain of the kingdom, are so far from being always parallels, that frequently they run counter one to the other. Josiah Child, Discourse on Trade.

    He thinks it brave, at his first setting out, to signalize himself in running counter to all the rules of virtue. John Locke.

    How chearfully on the false trail they cry,
    Oh, this is counter, you false Danish dogs. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

    A man whom I cannot deny, may oblige me to use persuasions to another, which, at the same time I am speaking, I may wish may not prevail on him: in this case, it is plain, the will and the desire run counter. John Locke.

    That design was no sooner known, but others of an opposite party were appointed to set a counter-petition on foot. Clar.

  2. Counternoun

    Etymology: from count.

    Though these half-pence are to be received as money in the Exchequer, yet in trade they are no better than counters. Jonathan Swift, Considerations on Wood’s Coin.

    When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
    To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
    Be ready, gods! with all your thunder-bolts,
    Dash him to pieces. William Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar.

    A fine gaudy minx, that robs our counters every night; and then goes out, and spends it upon our cuckold-makers. Dryden.

    In half-whipt muslin, needles useless lie;
    And shuttle-cocks a-cross the counter fly:
    These sports warm harmless. John Gay, Trivia.

    Sometimes you would see him behind his counter selling broad-cloth, sometimes measuring linen. John Arbuthnot, Hist. of J. B.

    Whether thy counter shine with sums untold,
    And thy wide-grasping hand grows black with gold. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPT

  1. counter

    A counter is a device, object, or system used to record or count any specific activity, event, or process. It can also refer to a long, flat surface typically in a kitchen, restaurant, or store where goods are prepared or served, or transactions are conducted. Additionally, in a debate or argument, a counter refers to an opposing idea or argument.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Counteradverb

    a prefix meaning contrary, opposite, in opposition; as, counteract, counterbalance, countercheck. See Counter, adv. & a

  2. Counterverb

    one who counts, or reckons up; a calculator; a reckoner

  3. Counterverb

    a piece of metal, ivory, wood, or bone, used in reckoning, in keeping account of games, etc

  4. Counterverb

    money; coin; -- used in contempt

  5. Counterverb

    a prison; either of two prisons formerly in London

  6. Counterverb

    a telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations

  7. Counterverb

    a table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted; a long, narrow table or bench, on which goods are laid for examination by purchasers, or on which they are weighed or measured

  8. Counteradverb

    contrary; in opposition; in an opposite direction; contrariwise; -- used chiefly with run or go

  9. Counteradverb

    in the wrong way; contrary to the right course; as, a hound that runs counter

  10. Counteradverb

    at or against the front or face

  11. Counteradjective

    contrary; opposite; contrasted; opposed; adverse; antagonistic; as, a counter current; a counter revolution; a counter poison; a counter agent; counter fugue

  12. Counteradverb

    the after part of a vessel's body, from the water line to the stern, -- below and somewhat forward of the stern proper

  13. Counteradverb

    same as Contra. Formerly used to designate any under part which served for contrast to a principal part, but now used as equivalent to counter tenor

  14. Counteradverb

    the breast, or that part of a horse between the shoulders and under the neck

  15. Counteradverb

    the back leather or heel part of a boot

  16. Counternoun

    an encounter

  17. Counterverb

    to return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing

  18. Etymology: [See Counter, adv., Contra.]

Wikidata

  1. Counter

    In digital logic and computing, a counter is a device which stores the number of times a particular event or process has occurred, often in relationship to a clock signal.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Counter

    kown′tėr, adv. against: in opposition.—adj. contrary: opposite.—n. that which is counter of opposite: (mus.) the voice-part set in immediate contrast with the air: (fencing) a parry in which one foil follows the other in a small circle: the part of a horse's breast between the shoulders and under the neck: (naut.) the part of a ship between the water-line and the knuckle of the stern.—v.t. Counteract′, to act counter or in opposition to: to hinder or defeat.—n. Counterac′tion.—adj. Counteract′ive, tending to counteract.—n. one who or that which counteracts.—adv. Counteract′ively.—ns. Coun′ter-ag′ent, anything which counteracts; Coun′ter-approach′, a work thrown up outside a besieged place to command or check the approaches of the besieger; Coun′ter-attrac′tion, attraction in an opposite direction.—adj. Coun′ter-attract′ive, attracting in an opposite direction.—v.t. Counterbal′ance, to balance by weight on the opposite side: to act against with equal weight, power, or influence.—ns. Coun′terbalance, an equal weight, power, or agency working in opposition; Coun′terbase (see Contrabass); Coun′ter-batt′ery (mil.), a battery erected to oppose another; Coun′ter-blast, something done in opposition to another thing; Coun′ter-bond, a bond to protect from contingent loss one who has given bond for another.—v.t. Coun′ter-brace (naut.), to brace or fasten (the head-yards and after-yards) in opposite ways.—n. the lee-brace of the fore-topsail-yard.—n. Coun′terbuff, a stroke that stops motion or causes a recoil.—v.t. to drive back by such.—ns. Coun′ter-cast (Spens.), a contrary cast, counterplot, trick; Coun′ter-cast′er (Shak.), one who casts accounts: a book-keeper—used in contempt; Coun′ter-change, (Shak.), exchange, reciprocation.—p.adj. Coun′terchanged′, exchanged: (her.) intermixed or set one against the other, as the colours of the field and charge.—n. Coun′ter-charge, a charge brought forward in opposition to another charge.—v.t. Coun′tercharm, to destroy or dissolve the effects of another charm.—n. that which destroys the effects of another charm.—v.t. Coun′ter-check, to check by some obstacle: to rebuke.—ns. Counter-check′, a check in opposition to another: a rebuke; Counter-claim, kown′tėr-klām, n. a cross-demand brought forward as a partial or complete set-off against another claim.; Coun′ter-curr′ent, a current flowing in an opposite direction; Coun′ter-drain, a drain alongside a canal, &c., to carry off water oozing out.—v.t. Coun′terdraw, to trace on oiled paper or other transparent material.—ns. Coun′ter-ev′idence, evidence brought forward in opposition to other evidence; Coun′terfoil, the corresponding part of a bank cheque, &c., retained by the giver; Coun′ter-force, an opposing force; Coun′ter-fort (fort.), a buttress, or arch behind the revetments or retaining walls of the ditches of permanent fortifications; Coun′ter-gauge, an adjustable scribing gauge for marking the measurements of a mortise on a piece to be tenoned; Coun′ter-guard (fort.), an outwork consisting of two lines of rampart running parallel to the faces of the bastion, to guard the bastion from being breached; Coun′ter-in′fluence, an opposing influence; Coun′ter-irr′itant, an agent or substance applied to the skin so as to redden, to vesicate, or to produce pustules, &c.; Coun′ter-irritā′tion, an artificial irritation produced in one part of the body to act in opposition to and remove already existing irritation; Coun′terlight (paint.), a light opposite to any object, disturbing the effect of its light.—v.i. Coun′termarch, to march back or in a direction contrary to a former one.—n. a marching backward or in a direction different from a former one: (mil.) an evolution by which a body of men change front, and still retain the same men in the front rank: change of measures.—n. Coun′termark, an additional mark put on a bale of goods belonging to several merchants, so that it may not be opened except in the presence of all the owners: a mark put on standard metal by the London Goldsmiths' Company in addition to the artificer's: an artificial cavity made in the teeth of horses to disguise their age.—v.t. Coun′termine, to make a mine in opposition to: to oppose by means of a countermine: (fig.) to frustrate by secret working:—pr.p. countermin′ing; pa.p. countermined′.—ns. Coun′ter-mine (mil.), a mine or chamber excavated by the besieged to counteract or destroy the mines made by the besiegers: (fig.) any means of counteraction; Coun′ter-mō′tion, an opposite motion; Coun′ter-move, -move′ment, a contrary move, movement.—v.t. Coun′termure, to fortify a wall with another wall.—ns. Coun′ter-ō′pening, an aperture or vent on the opposite side, or in a different place; Coun′ter-pace, a step in opposition to another, a contrary measure.—adj. Coun′ter-paled (her.), divided equally, as an escutcheon, first palewise, then by a line fesswise, with two tinctures countercharged.—ns. Coun′ter-parole′, a word in addition to the password; Coun′terpart, the part that answers to another part: that which fits into or completes another, having the qualities which another lacks, and so an opposite.—adj. Coun′ter-pass′ant (her.), denoting two animals in a coat of arms represented as passing each other the contrary way.—n. Coun′terplea, a replication to a plea or request.—v.t. Counterplead′, to plead the contrary of; Coun′terplot′, to plot against in order to frustrate another plot:—pr.p. counterplot′ting; pa.p. counterplot′ted.—n. a plot or stratagem opposed to another plot.—v.t. Coun′terpoise, to poise or weigh against or on the opposite side: to act in opposition to with equal effect.—n. an equally heavy weight in the other scale—(Spens.) Coun′terpoys.—ns. Coun′ter-pois′on, a poison used as the antidote of another; Coun′ter-pres′sure, opposing pressure; Coun′ter-proof, an inverted impression obtained from a newly printed proof of an engraving, by laying it, while the ink is still wet, upon plain paper, and passing it through the press; Coun′ter-revolū′tion, a subsequent revolution counteracting the effect of a previous; Coun′ter-roll, a copy of the rolls relating to appeals, inquests, &c., serving as a check on another's roll; Coun′ter-round, a body of officers which goes to inspect the rounds.—adj. Coun′tersā′lient (her.), salient in opposite directions.—n. Coun′terscarp (fort.), the side of the ditch nearest to the besiegers and opposite to the scarp.—v.t. Counterseal′ (Shak.), to seal along with others.—ns. Coun′ter-secur′ity, security given to one who has become surety for another; Coun′ter-sense, an interpretation contrary to the real sense.—v.t. Countersign′, to sign on the opposite side of a writing: to sign in addition to the signature of a superior, to attest the authenticity of a writing.—ns. Coun′tersign, a military private sign or word, which must be given in order to pass a sentry: a counter-signature; Coun′ter-sig′nal, a signal used as an answer to another; Coun′ter-sig′nature, a name countersigned to a writing.—v.t. Coun′tersink, to bevel the edge of a hole, as for the head of a screw-nail (a a in fig.)—it is usually done by a Countersink-bit (b in fig.) in a brace.—ns. Coun′ter-stand, opposition, resistance; Coun′ter-state′ment, a statement in opposition to another statement; Coun′ter-stroke (Spens.), a stroke given in return for another stroke; Coun′ter-tal′ly, a tally serving as a check to another; Coun′ter-ten′or, name applied to alto when sung by a male voice (so called because a contrast to tenor); Coun′ter-time, the resistance of a horse that interrupts his cadence and the measure of his manège: resistance, opposition; Coun′terturn, a turn in a play different from what was expected.—v.t. Countervail′, to be of avail against: to act against with equal effect: to be of equal value to: to compensate [Counter and Avail].—n. Coun′ter-view, an opposing view: a posture in which two persons face each other: opposition: contrast.—v.t. Coun′ter-vote, to vote in opposition to; Coun′ter-weigh, to weigh against, counterbalance.—ns. Coun′ter-weight, a weight in an opposite scale.—v.i. Coun′ter-wheel, to wheel in an opposite direction.—n. Coun′ter-work, a work raised in opposition to another.—v.t. to work in opposition to.—p.adj. Coun′ter-wrought. [Fr.,—L. contra, against.]

  2. Counter

    kown′tėr, n. (Spens.) encounter.—v.t. to encounter: to contradict.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. counter

    A term which enters into the composition of divers words of our language, and generally implies opposition, as counter-brace, counter-current, &c.--Counter of a ship, refers to her after-seat on the water: the counter above extends from the gun-deck line, or lower ribbon moulding of the cabin windows, to the water-line (or seat of water); the lower counter is arched below that line, and constitutes the hollow run. It is formed on the transom-buttocks.

Editors Contribution

  1. counter

    A type of surface within a kitchen.

    The counter in the kitchen was clean, tidy and neat.


    Submitted by MaryC on March 14, 2020  

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. COUNTER

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Counter is ranked #27678 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Counter surname appeared 869 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Counter.

    86.5% or 752 total occurrences were White.
    6.3% or 55 total occurrences were Black.
    4.6% or 40 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.7% or 15 total occurrences were of two or more races.

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Counter' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3728

  2. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Counter' in Nouns Frequency: #1883

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Counter' in Verbs Frequency: #960

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for Counter »

  1. cornute

  2. recount

  3. trounce

How to pronounce Counter?

How to say Counter in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Counter in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Counter in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of Counter in a Sentence

  1. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani:

    From the west, the IS militants are sending advance guards to southern and western Afghanistan. To the south, Pakistan's counter-insurgency operations ... are pushing the Taliban from south Waziristan (in Pakistan) towards Afghanistan's border regions.

  2. Nurul Izzah:

    They are forced to face the likes of the prime minister and the deputy prime minister dispensing cash like there's no tomorrow whilst their only 'semenanjung' (peninsula) counter force is held up by the immigration.

  3. Derrick Barnes:

    It’s even more important for White children to see Black, Brown, Asian, Muslim characters. If they don’t see those kids in their immediate environments, these books serve to counter stereotypes they’re taught, they get to learn about different cultures while also seeing the similarities, how we live, how we dream, the things we all fear, the things that bring us joy. But they won’t realize this if they only see themselves.

  4. Aaron Stein:

    The lessons suggest counter-terror officials need to be far more aggressive in disrupting mid-level recruiters, working within different Turkish communities.

  5. Chet Nagle:

    They'll fix it whatever it is. And the fact that you have a test aircraft crash, or an aerostat break loose, doesn't invalidate the system, the fact of the matter remains, the threat that this system was designed to counter hasn't gone away.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Counter#1#2277#10000

Translations for Counter

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • عدادArabic
  • брояч, гише, противоположен, обратен, противопоставям се, контра, отговарямBulgarian
  • getó, comptador, comptavoltes, fitxaCatalan, Valencian
  • počtářCzech
  • rhifyddWelsh
  • optæller, skranke, brik, disk, tæller, jeton, køkkenbordDanish
  • widersprechen, reagieren, Tresen, Schalter, entgegensetzen, Theke, Zähler, entgegnenGerman
  • πάγκος, μετρητήςGreek
  • vendotabloEsperanto
  • contador, mostrador, taquillaSpanish
  • شمارشگرPersian
  • putka, vastaehdotus, työtaso, vastoin, laskuri, vastustaa, tiski, vastatoimi, vastaan, laskija, vastaliike, vastataFinnish
  • contre, guichet, compteurFrench
  • cuntarIrish
  • काउंटरHindi
  • számlálóHungarian
  • վաճառասեղանArmenian
  • melawanIndonesian
  • konteroIdo
  • teljari, búðarborð, afgreiðsluborðIcelandic
  • bancone, contro, contraddire, contatore, contrastareItalian
  • カウンタ, カウンターJapanese
  • ಕೌಂಟರ್Kannada
  • aanrecht, balieDutch
  • diskNorwegian
  • ladaPolish
  • balcão, contador, bancadaPortuguese
  • numărător, numărătoare, contorRomanian
  • стойка, встречный удар, противодействие, задник, счётчик, прилавок, противовес, обратный, противоположный, противостоять, конторкаRussian
  • disk, markör, köksbänkSwedish
  • sayaçTurkish
  • טאָמבאַנקYiddish
  • 计数器Chinese

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    the sport of traveling on a bicycle or motorcycle
    A cycling
    B endeavor
    C assortment
    D downsizing

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