Library / English Dictionary

COUNTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A return punch (especially by a boxer)

Synonyms:

counter; counterpunch; parry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

biff; clout; lick; poke; punch; slug ((boxing) a blow with the fist)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

buffet; counter; sideboard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

article of furniture; furniture; piece of furniture (furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy)

Meronyms (parts of "counter"):

drawer (a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out)

shelf (a support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objects)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counter"):

credence; credenza (a kind of sideboard or buffet)

cellaret; minibar (sideboard with compartments for holding bottles)

Holonyms ("counter" is a part of...):

dining-room; dining room (a room used for dining)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

table (a piece of furniture having a smooth flat top that is usually supported by one or more vertical legs)

Meronyms (parts of "counter"):

countertop (the top side of a counter)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counter"):

bar (a counter where you can obtain food or drink)

checkout; checkout counter (a counter in a supermarket where you pay for your purchases)

meat counter (counter where meats are displayed for sale)

notions counter (counter where notions are sold)

reception desk (a counter (as in a hotel) where guests are received)

Sense 4

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

counter; tabulator

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

calculating machine; calculator (a small machine that is used for mathematical calculations; can be mechanical or electronic)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counter"):

pulse counter (an electronic counter that counts the number of electric pulses)

Derivation:

count (determine the number or amount of)

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Example:

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

Synonyms:

counter; heel counter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

piece of leather (a separate part consisting of leather)

Holonyms ("counter" is a part of...):

boot (footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg)

shoe (footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material)

Sense 6

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

game equipment (equipment or apparatus used in playing a game)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counter"):

chip; poker chip (a small disk-shaped counter used to represent money when gambling)

Derivation:

count (determine the number or amount of)

Sense 7

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

register ((computer science) memory device that is the part of computer memory that has a specific address and that is used to hold information of a specific kind)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

Derivation:

count (determine the number or amount of)

Sense 8

Meaning:

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

Example:

it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher

Synonyms:

comeback; counter; rejoinder; replication; retort; return; riposte

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

reply; response (the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counter"):

back talk; backtalk; lip; mouth; sass; sassing (an impudent or insolent rejoinder)

Derivation:

counter (speak in response)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A person who counts things

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("counter" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Derivation:

count (determine the number or amount of)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Indicating opposition or resistance

Synonyms:

antagonistic; counter

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

negative (characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Speak in response

Example:

He countered with some very persuasive arguments

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "counter" is one way to...):

answer; reply; respond (react verbally)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They counter that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

Act in advance of; deal with ahead of time

Synonyms:

anticipate; counter; foresee; forestall

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "counter" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 IV. (adverb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

In the opposite direction

Example:

run counter

Classified under:

Adverbs

Credits

 Context examples: 

Omega-3 supplements are available over-the-counter and often labeled as supporting brain health.

(Study shows no benefit of omega-3 or other nutritional supplements for cognitive decline, NIH)

That is because other changing Arctic processes will counter the effect of thawing soil in these regions.

(Far Northern Permafrost May Unleash Carbon Within Decades, NASA)

An over-the-counter drug indicated to treat allergy symptoms limited hepatitis C virus activity in infected mice.

(Allergy drug inhibits hepatitis C, NIH)

That Gladbachus reconstruction model runs counter to some long-held notions in marine paleobiology.

(Ancient sharks likely more diverse than previously thought, National Science Foundation)

New research counters a widely-held scientific view that thawing permafrost uniformly accelerates atmospheric warming, indicating instead that certain Arctic lakes store more greenhouse gases than they emit into the atmosphere.

(Certain Arctic lakes store more greenhouse gases than they release, NSF)

That runs counter to the centuries-long paradigm that has laid the foundation for the environmental sciences.

(New source of global nitrogen discovered: Earth’s bedrock, National Science Foundation)

Among them was an over-the-counter drug called CCZ.

(Allergy Drug Treats Hepatitis C in Mice, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The first three were on Harrison’s face, the last two were heavy counters upon Wilson’s body.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The pauseQuantity counter or timeclock starts then, and when the full amount of time is reached, the activity begins.

(Defined Composition Relationship Pause Quantity, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Specifies whether a device is available over-the-counter.

(Device Over The Counter Product Indicator, NCI Thesaurus)