counteract
Americanverb (used with object)
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counteracts,
present (3rd person singular)
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counteracted,
past participle, past
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counteracting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counteracternoun
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counteractionnoun
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counteractornoun
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counteractantadjective
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counteractiveadjective
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noncounteractiveadjective
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uncounteractedadjective
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counteractinglyadverb
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counteractivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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counteractsimple
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counteractssimple
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have counteractedperfect
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has counteractedperfect
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am counteractingprogressive
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are counteractingprogressive
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is counteractingprogressive
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have been counteractingperfect progressive
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has been counteractingperfect progressive
Past
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counteractedsimple
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had counteractedperfect
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was counteractingprogressive
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were counteractingprogressive
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had been counteractingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of counteract
Explanation
To counteract is to work against something in an attempt to reverse it or cancel it out. You can try to counteract the neighbors' annoyance at your loud music by bringing them some homemade brownies. When you counteract something, you act counter — or in opposition — to it. To counteract rising global temperatures, we have to reduce the greenhouse gases flowing into the atmosphere. In order to counteract the effects of a long sleepless night, you may want to drink a cup of coffee or tea. And a good way to counteract a limited vocabulary is to learn a new word every day!
Vocabulary lists containing counteract
"Don't ban peanuts at school"
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Academic Vocabulary, Unit 3
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Part 3 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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.
See Examples For:
Idaho french-fry maker Lamb Weston Holdings said it raised prices in North America to counteract rising costs for everything but potatoes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
In writing history, there must be intense rigor — evidence is important and if you have evidence that should counteract any bias or hypothesis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Those micro doses of movement throughout the day can counteract the effects.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
“Therefore, a drop in U.S. equity prices is needed to unleash disinflationary forces in the broader economy and counteract the inflationary impulse from higher oil and food prices,” Budaghyan said.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Some thought that he was making a strong effort to counteract the truth about America that I was telling every chance I got.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Stars shine because nuclear fusion in their cores converts hydrogen into helium, creating outward pressure that counteracts gravity.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 14, 2026
Now, researchers report that a once-promising new drug, an antibody that counteracts a pernicious toxin in the viper’s venom, has failed in animal trials.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 16, 2024
"I do believe that we can win," he counteracts, "and I won't stop fighting until we do."
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
The shocking presence of bright blue in a white gallery space also counteracts East Germany’s reputation as a colorless place.
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
He did this by adding a cosmological constant, an as yet undetected force that counteracts the force of gravity.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
An attractive force pulling the particles together is precisely counteracted by pressure produced by the fermions, keeping the droplet from collapsing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
But a sharp fall in food inflation counteracted increases elsewhere.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
And one 10-second play from Friday’s Game 2 shows just how the Knicks have counteracted the player known as The Alien—by manipulating space and time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Drones can also be counteracted with “kinetic” systems, which can shoot down drones.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
I guess Joey and I counteracted the brain-loss effect caused by Chas Becker’s brilliance.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
This time we just felt that the way of counteracting the upheaval and negativity that exists currently in our country was to look at it from a different perspective: with love, compassion, faith and education.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
“The forecast is shaped by two counteracting forces,” said Asa Johansson, director of policy studies at the OECD.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
It has an inclined tourbillon, a feature aimed at improving accuracy by counteracting gravity, which adds to its rarity in the watch world.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
There is no way of counteracting this weapon, which attacks targets at a speed of 10 Mach, or 2.5-3km/s, he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024
Thus there is both a steady flow of genes among maize landraces and a force counteracting that flow.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
