counter-offer
KOWN-ter-off-er
/ˈkaʊn.tərˌɔː.fər/
An offer made in response to another.
Automatically rejects the previous offer and replaces it with a new one.
The story behind the word. A combination of the Latin 'contra' (against) and 'offer'. It literally means to throw an offer back 'against' the one you just received.
Word relationships
- response: Response is general; counter-offer is specific to a proposal of terms.
- acceptance: Agreeing to the original offer without changes.
Commonly confused with
- ultimatum: An ultimatum is a final demand; a counter-offer is part of an ongoing discussion.
Collocations
- make a counter-offer
- reject a counter-offer
- firm counter-offer
Example sentences
- "The seller rejected our initial bid but came back with a reasonable counter-offer." A real estate negotiation.
- "After I was offered the job, I decided to counter-offer with a request for more vacation days." A salary negotiation.
Memory hook
You 'counter' (hit back) their 'offer' with your own. The reply bid.
When not to use
Don't use it if you are simply accepting an offer with minor questions.
Fun facts
- In contract law, making a counter-offer legally 'kills' the original offer; you cannot go back and accept the first offer once you've countered it.
Related words
Explore more words
counterattack, offer, rebuttal, exchange, Countermeasure, objection
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