countercharge

[ noun koun-ter-chahrj; verb koun-ter-chahrj, koun-ter-chahrj ]

/ noun ˈkaʊn tərˌtʃɑrdʒ; verb ˌkaʊn tərˈtʃɑrdʒ, ˈkaʊn tərˌtʃɑrdʒ /

a charge by an accused person against the accuser.

Military. a retaliatory charge.

to make an accusation against (one's accuser).

Military. to charge in retaliation.

Origin of countercharge

First recorded in 1605–15; counter- + charge

In other situations, the accusation arises as a countercharge.

Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'? |Michael Schulson |March 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We club men will have to countercharge the enemy, for self-preservation, to play heavy villains upon the stage.

The Voice on the Wire |Eustace Hale Ball
Charge and countercharge succeed in the mad struggle for these guns.

The Little Lady of Lagunitas |Richard Henry Savage
Preston and Palmer were not only driven back, but they left some prisoners as a result of a countercharge by a Union regiment.

Stone's River |Wilson J. Vance

However, no formal answer came until November 5, three days before the election, when a countercharge was impossible.

Contemporary American History, 1877-1913 |Charles A. Beard
He is thought of only as always meeting charge with countercharge, in the very front crying “Mix!”

The Brothers' War |John Calvin Reed

countercharge

/ (ˈkaʊntəˌtʃɑːdʒ) /

a charge brought by an accused person against the accuser

military a retaliatory charge

(tr) to make a countercharge against