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Synonyms

cancel out

Idioms  

  1. Neutralize the effect of, offset, render void. For example, Anne's kindness to her neighbor could not cancel out her irritability. The verb cancel was used in this way by itself from the late 1400s; out was added in the early 1900s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two weeks later, higher gasoline and energy prices stemming from the conflict could cancel out the effects of those higher refunds, economists say.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

It recognized that improvement through treatment should not cancel out evidence of injury.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

Traders who bet that winter was over and that gas prices would fall have had to buy futures this week to cancel out those short positions, adding to this week’s price gains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

This means the body does not clearly offset or "cancel out" the extra calories burned through movement.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

Even the music of a flamenco band did not overpower or even cancel out the clamor and tumult that spilled out of the room.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.