counteract
verb
coun·ter·act
ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈakt 
counteracted; counteracting; counteracts
: to make ineffective or restrain or neutralize the usually ill effects of by means of an opposite force, action, or influence
a drug used to counteract fatigue
Examples of counteract in a Sentence
The drug will counteract the poison.
this medication will counteract the symptoms but it won't kill the infection
Recent Examples on the Web
Their hair was held back in a low bun and coiled in exactly the same way, and their blue eyes were darkly lined, that intensity counteracted with their matching rosy lip look.
—
Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 23 May 2026
Doctors rapidly sequenced her genome and used an artificial intelligence tool known as Biomedical Data Translator to identify Klonopin in a vast database of available compounds as a drug with the characteristics to counteract many of the disorder’s debilitating effects.
—Casey Ross, STAT, 19 May 2026
Hoping to harness this technology without compromising safety, researchers have developed a suite of strategies to counteract AI’s shortcomings.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
To counteract clutter, incorporate storage opportunities into your entryway.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for counteract
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Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 23 May 2026
Doctors rapidly sequenced her genome and used an artificial intelligence tool known as Biomedical Data Translator to identify Klonopin in a vast database of available compounds as a drug with the characteristics to counteract many of the disorder’s debilitating effects.
—Casey Ross, STAT, 19 May 2026
Hoping to harness this technology without compromising safety, researchers have developed a suite of strategies to counteract AI’s shortcomings.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
To counteract clutter, incorporate storage opportunities into your entryway.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for counteract
Cite this Entry
“Counteract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counteract. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
counteract
verb
coun·ter·act
ˌkau̇nt-ə-ˈrakt
: to lessen the force, action, or influence of : offset
a drug that counteracts a poison
Medical Definition
counteract
transitive verb
coun·ter·act
ˌkau̇nt-ə-ˈrakt
: to make ineffective or restrain or neutralize the usually ill effects of by an opposite force
vitamin K counteracts the effects of warfarin
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