Contra vs. Counter: What's the Difference?

In contrast or opposition to; against.

A flat surface on which money is counted, business is transacted, or food is prepared or served.

In opposition to something stated or expected; to the contrary.

(Games)A piece, as of wood or ivory, used for keeping a count or a place.

A member of the rebel forces that opposed the leftist government of Nicaragua in the 1980s with the funds and support of the United States government.

An imitation coin; a token.

Against; contrary or opposed to; in opposition or contrast to

A piece of money.

Contrary to something

One who counts.

(business) A deal to swap goods or services.

A reckoner; someone who collects data by counting; an enumerator.

A conservative; originally tied to Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries.

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

An entry (or account) that cancels another entry (or account).

A telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations.

Any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass.

(programming) A variable, memory location, etc. whose contents are incremented to keep a count.

(dance) A contra dance.

(Internet) A hit counter.

A country dance.

A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted

(accounting) To undo; to reverse.

A shop tabletop on which goods are examined, weighed or measured.

In a kitchen, a surface, often built into the wall and above a cabinet, designed to be used for food preparation.

In a bathroom, a surface, often built into the wall and above a cabinet, which holds the washbasin.

(curling) Any stone lying closer to the center than any of the opponent's stones.

(historical) The prison attached to a city court; a compter.

(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.

Something opposite or contrary to something else.

(martial arts) A proactive defensive hold or move in reaction to a hold or move by one's opponent.

(nautical) The overhanging stern of a vessel above the waterline, below and somewhat forward of the stern proper.

The piece of a shoe or a boot around the heel of the foot (above the heel of the shoe/boot).

(music) contra Formerly used to designate any under part which served for contrast to a principal part, but now used as equivalent to countertenor.

The breast of a horse; that part of a horse between the shoulders and under the neck.

(typography) The enclosed or partly closed negative space of a glyph.

(obsolete) An encounter.

Contrary, in opposition; in an opposite direction.

In the wrong way; contrary to the right course.

To contradict, oppose.

(boxing) To return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing.

To take action in response to; to respond.

To encounter.

Contrary or opposing

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

A piece of metal, ivory, wood, or bone, used in reckoning, in keeping account of games, etc.

Money; coin; - used in contempt.

A prison; either of two prisons formerly in London.

A telltale; a contrivance attached to an engine, printing press, or other machine, for the purpose of counting the revolutions or the pulsations.

A table or board on which money is counted and over which business is transacted; a long, narrow table or bench, on which goods are laid for examination by purchasers, or on which they are weighed or measured.

The after part of a vessel's body, from the water line to the stern, - below and somewhat forward of the stern proper.

Same as Contra. Formerly used to designate any under part which served for contrast to a principal part, but now used as equivalent to counter tenor.

The breast, or that part of a horse between the shoulders and under the neck.

The back leather or heel part of a boot.

An encounter.

Contrary; in opposition; in an opposite direction; contrariwise; - used chiefly with run or go.

In the wrong way; contrary to the right course; as, a hound that runs counter.

At or against the front or face.

Contrary; opposite; contrasted; opposed; adverse; antagonistic; as, a counter current; a counter revolution; a counter poison; a counter agent; counter fugue.

To return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing.

Table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted

Game equipment used in various card or board games

A calculator that keeps a record of the number of times something happens

A piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers

A person who counts things

A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one);

(computer science) a register whose contents go through a regular series of states (usually states indicating consecutive integers)

The piece of leather that fits the heel

A piece of leather forming the back of a shoe

A return punch (especially by a boxer)

Speak in response;

Act in advance of; deal with ahead of time

Indicating opposition or resistance

In the opposite direction;