counter-charge

[/ˈkaʊntər tʃɑːrdʒ/]
noun/verbpl: counter-charges
contra-acusação
1. A charge or accusation made in response to another charge; a reciprocal accusation
When accused of theft, he made a counter-charge of harassment against his accuser.
Quando acusado de roubo, ele fez uma contra-acusação de assédio contra seu acusador.
2. A military attack made in response to an enemy attack
The regiment launched a counter-charge to repel the enemy's advance.
O regimento lançou um contra-ataque para repelir o avanço do inimigo.
3. To make an accusation against someone who has accused you
The defendant decided to counter-charge her accuser with defamation.
A ré decidiu fazer uma contra-acusação de difamação contra seu acusador.
Counter-charges are particularly prevalent in legal and political discourse in both the USA and Brazil. In the American legal system, they are formally recognized procedures, while in Brazilian courts (Poder Judiciário), contra-acusações are also standard legal practice. The term is frequently used in political debates and social media exchanges as a rhetorical strategy.
NYC Slang
clap back (informal, in response to accusations)
Synonyms / Sinônimos
counter-accusationreciprocal chargecounterattackretaliationrecrimination
Antonyms / Antônimos
agreementadmissionacceptancesurrender

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
contra-acusação
Standard usage in legal and formal contexts
General Brazilian
contra-ataque
Military context; more common in informal speech
São Paulo
contra-acusação
Preferred in legal proceedings
Portugal
contra-acusação
Standard in Portuguese legal terminology

Related Words

accusationchargecounterattackdefenseallegationclaim

Related Idioms & Phrases

fire back with a counter-charge
level a counter-charge against
make a counter-charge
press counter-charges
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →