counterfire

plural counterfires

1. uncountablegovernmentThe firing of weapons in response.

   The second attack vehicle had difficulty navigating around the debris from the first attack, and was met with defensive counterfire by security personnel assigned to the hotel.

   2007, John W. Ellis, Police Analysis and Planning for Homicide Bombings, page 171

   1 more example

   The Nationalist Defense Ministry claimed Communist guns on the mainland coast were silenced by effective counterfire. By Nationalist count, the Reds fired 444 shells, of which 162 hit Matsu Island, 112 Peikantang Island and 170 landed in the sea.

   1959 May 18, “Red Chinese Open Firing on Matsus”, in The Washington Post and Times Herald, volume 82, number 164, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, column 5

2. countablefirefightingA smaller fire lit at some distance from a wildfire, in order to develop a firebreak.

present singular third person counterfires · participle present counterfiring · participle past counterfired · past counterfired

1. intransitivefirefightingTo light a smaller fire at some distance from a wildfire, in order to develop a firebreak.