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
Nature is restorative, helping to counteract modern life's numerous demands and the need to stay hyper-focused on specific tasks, the expert added.
—
Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
For those of you out there with hard water issues, dishwasher salt counteracts hard water.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 9 July 2025
Again, the answer comes down to balancing out the centers of mass of the two blocks, only this time, because the bottom block is five times lighter, its center of mass must end up five times farther on the tabletop to counteract the weight of the heavier block.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 6 July 2025
Focus On Social Skills In Leadership Development While becoming adept in using AI is important, emphasizing technical skills won’t counteract the truly human challenges of the modern workplace.
—William Arruda, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counteract
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Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
For those of you out there with hard water issues, dishwasher salt counteracts hard water.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 9 July 2025
Again, the answer comes down to balancing out the centers of mass of the two blocks, only this time, because the bottom block is five times lighter, its center of mass must end up five times farther on the tabletop to counteract the weight of the heavier block.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 6 July 2025
Focus On Social Skills In Leadership Development While becoming adept in using AI is important, emphasizing technical skills won’t counteract the truly human challenges of the modern workplace.
—William Arruda, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for counteract
Cite this Entry
“Counteract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counteract. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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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