as in to offset
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
this medication will counteract the symptoms but it won't kill the infection
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Recent Examples of counteract
However, the sugars also work to counteract bitter flavors in certain veggies, which is why some cold-hardy crops taste sweeter and better after frost.
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
Choose a shade under the Bisque category to counteract under-eye darkness that’s more purple, blue, or red-ish, or choose a shade under the Peach family to neutralize brown, grey, or greenish dark circles.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 29 Oct. 2025
Ecological collapse has led to the creation of FedSur, a coalition of South American countries that applies extreme measures to protect nature and counteract social unrest.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
But lower rates cannot easily counteract the economic uncertainty that continues to bedevil businesses or address AI’s structural impact on entry-level tech jobs.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counteract
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
Choose a shade under the Bisque category to counteract under-eye darkness that’s more purple, blue, or red-ish, or choose a shade under the Peach family to neutralize brown, grey, or greenish dark circles.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 29 Oct. 2025
Ecological collapse has led to the creation of FedSur, a coalition of South American countries that applies extreme measures to protect nature and counteract social unrest.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
But lower rates cannot easily counteract the economic uncertainty that continues to bedevil businesses or address AI’s structural impact on entry-level tech jobs.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counteract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counteract
Verb
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Monday evening, city leaders approved a $940,000 subsidy to offset the development fees that would otherwise need to be paid by the developer of the project, which would be the home to a new indoor professional soccer league.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Its bright pink floral pattern is offset with crisp white that looks fresh and breezy, and the rayon and nylon material is breathable enough for wear in the spring or summer.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Within a few short years, all effective sources of opposition were neutralized in Hungary.—
Kim Lane Scheppele,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s relentless drone assaults has found a powerful counter in the STING interceptor drone, a compact, fast, and cost-effective weapon designed to neutralize enemy UAVs mid-air.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This story has been updated to correct the number of missiles Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired Thursday night.—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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In its October earnings conference call, Puma CEO Arthur Hoeld ticked off a list of things Puma needs to correct.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counteract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counteract. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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