noun
counter
KOWN-tuh
noun
1
A flat surface for serving customers, preparing food, or conducting business.
"She set the groceries down on the kitchen counter."
"The clerk rang up the sale at the counter."
2
A device or variable that keeps track of a running total.
"The hit counter on the website ticked past a million visits."
verb
1
To respond to or oppose an action, argument, or attack.
"She countered his objection with solid evidence."
"The boxer countered with a quick jab."
adv
1
In the opposite direction or contrary to something.
"His actions ran counter to everything the company stood for."
How to Use Counter
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA flat surface for serving or working — or, as a verb, to respond to or oppose something.
Common pairings
kitchen counter
counter an argument
run counter to
Word Forms
countered past tense, counters plural, Counters plural, counters singular
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Etymology
From Anglo-Norman countour, related to Latin computō — the same root as "count" and "computer."