counterkilling

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noun

A killing carried out in response to another killing.

Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nouncounterkilling (plural counterkillings)

plural counterkillings

  1. A killing carried out in response to another killing.

    The mob pummeled the men suspected of being thugs, and this normally tranquil spot exploded into a melee of killings and counterkillings that left nearly 30 people dead.

    2009 April 22, Jeffrey Gettleman, “Kenyan Town Strikes Back Against Its Tormenters”, in New York Times

Origin

From counter- + killing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

counterkilling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterkilling

MLA

“counterkilling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterkilling. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterkilling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterkilling.

Source: counterkilling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.