counters

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of counter.

   The cafe staff wiped down the counters before the morning rush.

   Players move their counters around the board after each roll of the dice.

   Note

   One spelling covers everything that keeps a tally. It names the people who count, such as enumerators. It names the small discs moved on a game board, the telltales fixed to engines and printing presses, and the variables a program increments. Watch the grammar: with an article it is the noun (the counters), but after a subject it is the verb of opposing (she counters).

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of counter.

   The defense attorney counters each accusation with documented evidence.

   Our goalkeeper quickly counters opposing attacks by launching the ball upfield.

   Note

   Here opposition comes with a sporting edge. A boxer counters by striking back while taking a punch, and a speaker counters a claim with an answer. The verb usually takes a direct object, often followed by a with-phrase naming the reply (counters the charge with evidence). Its old meaning, "encounters," is obsolete, so do not use it today for simply meeting someone.

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