counteract

[ koun-ter-akt ]

/ ˌkaʊn tərˈækt /

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See synonyms for: counteract / counteracting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to act in opposition to; frustrate by contrary action.

OTHER WORDS FOR counteract

neutralize, counterbalance, contravene, thwart.

See synonyms for counteract on Thesaurus.com

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of counteract

First recorded in 1670–80; counter- + act

OTHER WORDS FROM counteract

coun·ter·ac·tant, adjectivecoun·ter·act·er, coun·ter·ac·tor, nouncoun·ter·act·ing·ly, adverbcoun·ter·ac·tion, noun

coun·ter·ac·tive, adjectivecoun·ter·ac·tive·ly, adverbnon·coun·ter·ac·tive, adjectiveun·coun·ter·act·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use counteract in a sentence

If another tree grows in the spot where your wood was harvested, it could potentially suck enough carbon out of the atmosphere to counteract the emissions of your campfire.
Covid-19 sparked a run on outdoor heaters and fire pits. Which is better for the planet?|Sarah Kaplan|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
They will thus require just as much energy and investment to counteract.
How our data encodes systematic racism|Amy Nordrum|December 10, 2020|MIT Technology Review
So if you press one, that inadvertently presses other levers that counteract its effect.
We admire these do-gooders. We just don’t want to date them.|Sigal Samuel|December 4, 2020|Vox
If the finding is broadly true for temperate trees, it could mean that these forests have a limit to how much carbon they can absorb every year, lessening their ability to counteract emissions from humans.
Climate change is affecting fall foliage, but not in the way you think|Ula Chrobak|November 30, 2020|Popular-Science

Designed to counteract the effect of gravity on a pocket watch’s accuracy, the tourbillon mounts the watch’s critical timekeeping components in a rotating cage.
A Q&A with the provocative mind behind watchmaker H. Moser|Daniel Bentley|September 21, 2020|Fortune
In the meantime the opposite party made efforts of counteraction.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
This daily paper would form a very strong counteraction to the ale-house.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
The second is the cause or tragic impulse of the counteraction, and stands between the climax and the fall or untying of the knot.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism|F. V. N. Painter
It was the mighty counteraction of free labor that crushed slavery.
The Brothers' War|John Calvin Reed
Catalytics may not remain beyond a certain time; their office is counteraction.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland

British Dictionary definitions for counteract

counteract

/ (ˌkaʊntərˈækt) /

verb

(tr) to oppose, neutralize, or mitigate the effects of by contrary action; check

Derived forms of counteract

counteraction, nouncounteractive, adjectivecounteractively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

counteract

OTHER WORDS FOR counteract

Origin of counteract

OTHER WORDS FROM counteract

Words related to counteract

How to use counteract in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for counteract

Derived forms of counteract