World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesCounterplay
/ˈkaʊn.tɚ.pleɪ/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
Moves or actions made by a player in a defensive position to offset the opponent's initiative or attack.
"The grandmaster launched a brilliant counterplay on the queenside to relieve the pressure." - 2
Strategic measures taken by a company to counter a competitor's aggressive market maneuver.
"The tech firm developed a swift counterplay to protect its market share."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Formed in English by combining the prefix counter- (derived from Latin contra, meaning 'against') with the noun play (from Old English plega, meaning 'exercise or game'). Originally popularized in chess and military strategy contexts in the late 19th century to denote a defensive move that actively threatens the opponent.
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10 Global Lexicons: How "Counterplay" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
contre-jeu
Transliteration: kɔ̃tʁə ʒø
"Il a trouvé un excellent contre-jeu pour sauver sa position."
Gegenspiel
Transliteration: ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌʃpiːl
"Der Spieler suchte dringend nach aktivem Gegenspiel."
controgioco
Transliteration: kontroˈdʒɔːko
"Il nero ha bisogno di controgioco per evitare la sconfitta."
contraataque
Transliteration: kontɾaˈtakwe
"El equipo defensivo buscó un contraataque rápido."
contra-jogo
Transliteration: ˈkõtɾɐ ˈʒoɡu
"Ele organizou um contra-jogo eficiente no tabuleiro."
प्रति-आक्रमण
Transliteration: prati-akraman
"खिलाड़ी ने स्थिति संभालने के लिए प्रति-आक्रमण किया।"
反击
Transliteration: fǎnjī
"他通过巧妙的反击扭转了劣势。"
반격
Transliteration: ban-gyeok
"그는 위기 상황에서 멋진 반격을 선보였다."
反撃
Transliteration: hangeki
"彼は苦しい局面から見事な反撃を見せた。"
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