Counterpunches

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Quick return blows thrown immediately after an opponent's punch lands ; to strike back in reply right after being hit
2. Swift retaliatory punches landed right after taking a blow ; to answer a punch with a punch of one's own in the same exchange
3. Immediate counterattacks delivered in boxing after absorbing a hit ; to respond to an opponent's strike by swinging back at once

Etymology: "Counterpunches" is the plural of "counterpunch," a noun that is also a verb, and the word is built plainly from two English parts. "Counter-" comes from the Old French prefix meaning "against" or "opposite," and in boxing it signals a blow thrown in reply to an opponent's punch. "Punch" is the older word, a blow struck with the fist, which English has used since the 1700s as a noun and a verb. Put together, a counterpunch is a punch returned in answer to one just landed, so the compound follows the sporting sense of the parts closely. The plural simply adds the usual "-es" to form the noun's plural, matching the spelling of "punch."

Synonyms: riposte, retort, comeback