counter
noun · adverb · verb · adjective
Form of count , comparative of count.
Simple meaning
Game equipment used for keeping a count or reserving a space in different card or board games.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kownterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkaʊntɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
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
An object (now especially a small disc) used in counting or keeping count, or as a marker in games, etc.
A person who counts things
One who counts.
A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted.
Table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
adverb
Contrary, in opposition; in an opposite direction.
In the wrong way; contrary to the right course.
verb
Speak in response
“He countered with some very persuasive arguments.”
To take action in response to; to respond.
To contradict, oppose.
adjective
Contrary or opposing
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This 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
Used this way, counter is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- tabulator , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use counter
- “He countered with some very persuasive arguments.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Determine the number or amount of.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A measuring instrument for counting individual ionizing events.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The top side of a counter.
A strategy intended to prevent or counter terrorism.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: game equipment (as a piece of wood or plastic
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.