In a place such as a shop or café a counter is a long narrow table or flat surface at which customers are served.

If you do something to counter a particular action or process, you do something which has an opposite effect to it or makes it less effective.

Something that is a counter to something else has an opposite effect to it or makes it less effective.

If you counter something that someone has said, you say something which shows that you disagree with them or which proves that they are wrong.

A counter is a mechanical or electronic device which keeps a count of something and displays the total.

A counter is a small, flat, round object used in board games.

If a medicine can be bought over the counter, you do not need a prescription to buy it.

Over-the-counter shares are bought and sold directly rather than on a stock exchange.

If one thing runs counter to another, or if one thing is counter to another, the first thing is the opposite of the second thing or conflicts with it.

If someone buys or sells goods under the counter, they buy or sell them secretly and illegally.