cancel out
phrasal verb
canceled out or cancelled out; canceling out or cancelling out; cancels out
: to reduce the effect of (something) : to be equal to (something) in force or importance but have an opposite effect
The costs cancel out the benefits.
Examples of cancel out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, a separate 2022 study of Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) determined that the species’ teeth can resist ocean acidification, in part because the effects of rising temperature and falling pH may cancel out in some contexts.
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Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
The audio doesn't impress, and the headphones can hardly cancel out more than a noisy fan.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
Californians will be asked to greenlight the plan that could give Democrats five additional House seats, effectively canceling out the five would-be Republican gains in Texas, by going around the state’s independent redistricting commission until the end of the decade.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
Computation could emerge from how waves interact, adding together or canceling out depending on their phases.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cancel out
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Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
The audio doesn't impress, and the headphones can hardly cancel out more than a noisy fan.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
Californians will be asked to greenlight the plan that could give Democrats five additional House seats, effectively canceling out the five would-be Republican gains in Texas, by going around the state’s independent redistricting commission until the end of the decade.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
Computation could emerge from how waves interact, adding together or canceling out depending on their phases.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cancel out
Cite this Entry
“Cancel out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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