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Glite Dictionary
🔄 To march back 🔄 A reverse march
countermarch

countermarch

9.9
A march back by soldiers to change direction or position
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntərˌmɑːrʧ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : retroceso
  • After reaching the halfway point, the captain ordered a countermarch to return to the base.

Examples

  • During the training exercise, the instructor called for a countermarch so the soldiers could practice their movements in reverse.

  • The cadet drill sergeant ordered a countermarch for no particular reason.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The general commanded a countermarch to reposition the troops back along the route they had just traveled.

Synonyms

countermovement
vscountermarch
6.2

A movement in the opposite direction to balance another movement

is a military maneuver returning troops along the same route
turnback
vscountermarch
  • UK
4.4

A decision to stop a journey and go back because of a problem

is the military return movement along the same route rather than any retreat

Surface Forms

countermarch singular
countermarches plural

Morphology

countermarch = march (transparent) = counter + march

The noun is a straightforward formation from 'counter-' + the noun 'march' meaning movement in the opposite or reverse direction.

Etymology

Countermarch is a military name made from counter- 'against' and march 'to walk in step', so it literally means a march in the opposite direction. That is why a countermarch is a manoeuvre where troops turn and march back or along the same route.