以上三者是各不相同但却最容易混淆的法律术语，目前流行的很多词典把它们都当作一个概念，即“反诉”对待，而事实上三者的含义差别极大。首先是counterclaim和cross claim, 它们的区别在于前者是指在同一诉讼中针对另一方当事人，即被告方对原告方提出的诉讼主张，故其应为“反诉”，其也称为 counteraction、countersuit 或 cross-demand [1]。而后者则是指同一诉讼中的共同方当事人，即共同被告或共同原告之间相互所提出的诉讼主张，故其应为“共同诉讼人之间的诉讼主张”或 “交叉诉讼主张”而非“反诉”[2]。而cross-action的区别则在于该术语是指被告就同一有争议的诉因对案件中的原告或共同被告所提出的另一独立诉讼(separate action) [3](此诉讼如在中国应当另案处理），故其也非“反诉”而应是“交叉诉讼”。

[1]“ A defendant's assertion in the main action of a right or claim against the plaintiff. "Cf. Daphne A. Dukelow, The Dictionary of Canadian Law, at p. 226, Thomson Professional Publishing Canada (1991). “A cause of action or claim for relief asserted by a defendant against the plaintiff in a civil case. ”Cf. James E. Clapp，Random House Webster's Dictionary of the Law, at p. 112, Random House (2000).
[2] "cross claim： A claim or cause of action against one or more of the other defendants. For example, in a tort case gainst several people alleged to have harmed the plaintiff jointly, the defendants often assert cross-claims against each other, each claiming a right of contribution (要求对方分担损失赔偿) from the others. In rare cases, a cross-claim might be asserted by one plaintiff against another in the same case. ”Cf. James E. Clapp, Random House Webster's Dictionary of the Law, at p. 119, Random House (2000).
[3]“An independent suit brought by defendant against plaintiff of co-defendant. ”Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary, abridged 6th edition, at p. 162, West Publishing Co. (1991).“ An action brought by a defendant in an existing action against a plaintiff or codefendant. " Cf. Linda Picard Wood, J. D.，Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law, at p. 115, Merriam-Webster，Incorporated (1996 ).