counteroffensive

/ˌkaʊntərəˈfɛnsɪv/

Other forms: counteroffensives

In military operations, attacks made from a defensive position are often called a counteroffensive. For example, an army might launch a counteroffensive against invading forces.

If a region or nation is able and willing to fight back against military attacks, it will mount an armed counteroffensive. The term was coined during World War I, to describe the act of striking back after an invasion or offensive. It is from the verb counter, "go against," which derives from encounter, originally "meet an enemy," from the Old French encontre, "a meeting or fight."

Definitions of counteroffensive

1. noun

   a large scale offensive (more than a counterattack) undertaken by a defending force to seize the initiative from an attacking force
   type of:

   offence, offense, offensive

   the action of attacking an enemy