contrer

Contrer means to counter — blocking a move, an argument, or an attack. It's common in sports, games, and debate (contrer un argument), and has a specific technical meaning in card games like belote, where contrer means to double the bid you think will fail.

• Le boxeur a contré chaque attaque de son adversaire. — The boxer countered every attack from his opponent.
• Elle a contré son argument avec des chiffres précis. — She countered his argument with precise figures.
• À la belote, il a osé contrer l'annonce de son adversaire. — In belote, he dared to double his opponent's bid.

In card games like belote, contrer has a specific fixed meaning (doubling a bid you expect to fail) distinct from its general "to counter" sense — a learner who only knows the general meaning can be confused by belote rules that assume the game-specific one.

• expression Contrer (belote) — Verified: in belote and coinche, one of France's most popular card games, contrer is the fixed term for doubling an opponent's bid when a player believes it will fail — central enough to the game that "belote contrée" is a standard named variant.