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
Synonyms
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
In other words, the increase in productive capacity helped to counteract inflationary pressures that would arise from more people living in the U.S.
—
Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The Tennessee state House of Representatives passed a bill Monday designed to prevent geoengineering, the practice of intentionally modifying the atmosphere to counteract global warming.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
The idea is to counteract some of the effects of climate change by finding ways to reflect solar radiation.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
Encouraging the input of diverse perspectives can help counteract the influence of a single anchor.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
The legislation is an effort to counteract skyrocketing housing prices and, in the Seattle area, one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness, as well as a critical housing shortage.
—Hallie Golden, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
The goal, Ganley said, is to counteract the toll these take on their mental, physical and emotional health.
—Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
But the uproar over the Mother’s Day photo shows that this strategy comes with its own risks, not least that a family portrait has added to the very misinformation about her that it was calculated to counteract.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Old-school toners were meant to balance skin pH and counteract alkaline soaps, before soap-free cleansers became popular.
—Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024
Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The Tennessee state House of Representatives passed a bill Monday designed to prevent geoengineering, the practice of intentionally modifying the atmosphere to counteract global warming.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
The idea is to counteract some of the effects of climate change by finding ways to reflect solar radiation.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
Encouraging the input of diverse perspectives can help counteract the influence of a single anchor.
—Bryce Hoffman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
The legislation is an effort to counteract skyrocketing housing prices and, in the Seattle area, one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness, as well as a critical housing shortage.
—Hallie Golden, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
The goal, Ganley said, is to counteract the toll these take on their mental, physical and emotional health.
—Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
But the uproar over the Mother’s Day photo shows that this strategy comes with its own risks, not least that a family portrait has added to the very misinformation about her that it was calculated to counteract.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Old-school toners were meant to balance skin pH and counteract alkaline soaps, before soap-free cleansers became popular.
—Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counteract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near counteract
Cite this Entry
“Counteract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counteract. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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