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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cancel out

Research looking at how to protect the future of England's largest lake showed potential to "fully cancel out" the projected impact of climate change on it.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

If two galaxies spinning in nearly opposite directions collided, their motions could cancel out.

From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026

Any amount you convert is subject to income-tax rates of up to 37%—but the senior deduction can help cancel out that tax, Adams says.

From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026

The standard advice for a central bank facing a supply shock is to look past it, concluding that the hit to growth and the boost to inflation roughly cancel out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

The good stuff seemed to cancel out the hating part, but he wasn’t sure because feelings were not math.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• annihilate
• belie
• disallow
• disprove
• invalidate
• neutralize
• nullify
• rebut
• reverse
• undo
• vitiate
• void