Noun

Singular counter

Plural counters

counter (plural counters)

1. An object (now especially a small disc) used in counting or keeping count, or as a marker in games, etc.

   He rolled a six on the dice, so moved his counter forward six spaces.

2. (curling) Any stone lying closer to the center than any of the opponent's stones.
3. A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted; a shop tabletop on which goods are examined, weighed or measured.

   He put his money on the counter, and the shopkeeper put it in the till.

4. One who counts, or reckons up; a reckoner.

   He's only 16 months, but is already a good counter - he can count to 100.

5. A telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations.
6. (historical) The prison attached to a city court; a Counter.
7. (grammar) a class of word used along with numbers to count objects and events, typically mass nouns. Although rare and optional in English (e.g. "20 head of cattle"), they are numerous and required in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
8. In a kitchen, a surface, often built into the wall and above a cabinet, whereon various food preparations take place.
9. (wrestling) A proactive defensive hold or move in reaction to a hold or move by one's opponent.

   Always know a counter to any hold you try against your opponent.

10. Something in contradiction or opposition to a proposal, suggestion, policy, etc.

    We believe that his proposal is counter to our well-established policy.

11. (computing, programming) A variable, memory location, etc. whose contents are incremented to keep a count.
12. (computing, Internet) A hit counter.

Derived terms

• bean counter
• counter batten
• countertop

• hit counter
• over the counter
• program counter

• rivet counter

In digital logic and computing, a counter is a device which stores (and sometimes displays) the number of times a particular event or process has occurred, often in relationship to a clock signal. In practice, there are two types of counters:

• Up counters, which increase (increment) in value
• Down counters, which decrease (decrement) in value