Counterclockwise means moving in a circle the opposite direction from the way clock hands turn. If you imagine a clock face, the hands move from 12 to 3 to 6 to 9 and back to 12. Counterclockwise goes the other way: from 12 to 9 to 6 to 3 and back to 12.

You often twist bottle caps counterclockwise to open them. The phrase “righty tighty, lefty loosey” reminds us that turning counterclockwise (left) usually loosens screws and bolts. Stirring counterclockwise in a bowl means moving your spoon in that leftward circle.

In the Northern Hemisphere, hurricanes often spin counterclockwise because of Earth's rotation. In sports, runners circle a track counterclockwise, and ice skaters often practice spinning counterclockwise.

Some people also use the term anticlockwise, which means exactly the same thing. It's more common in British English, while Americans typically say counterclockwise.