COUNTERACT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does counteract mean? 

• COUNTERACT (verb)
  The verb COUNTERACT has 4 senses:

1. act in opposition to

2. oppose or check by a counteraction

3. oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions

4. destroy property or hinder normal operations

  Familiarity information: COUNTERACT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COUNTERACT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they counteract    ... he / she / it counteracts   
Past simple: counteracted   
Past participle: counteracted   
-ing form: counteracting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Act in opposition to

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

antagonise; antagonize; counteract

Hypernyms (to "counteract" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Oppose or check by a counteraction

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

counteract; countercheck

Hypernyms (to "counteract" is one way to...):

check; contain; control; curb; hold; hold in; moderate (lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

counteract; counterbalance; countervail; neutralize

Context example:

This will counteract the foolish actions of my colleagues

Hypernyms (to "counteract" is one way to...):

cancel; offset; set off (make up for)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "counteract"):

override (counteract the normal operation of (an automatic gear shift in a vehicle))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

counteraction (action intended to nullify the effects of some previous action)

counteractive (opposing or neutralizing or mitigating an effect by contrary action)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Destroy property or hinder normal operations

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

counteract; countermine; sabotage; subvert; undermine; weaken

Context example:

The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war

Hypernyms (to "counteract" is one way to...):

disobey (refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "counteract"):

derail (cause to run off the tracks)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Specifically, the whole-grain diet gave a moderate boost to populations of beneficial Lachnospira bacteria, which make protective short-chain fatty acids and help counteract another bacterial species that contributes to inflammation.

(Whole Grains Deliver on Health Benefits, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

As an ANG1 and TIE2 antagonist, ANG2 may counteract blood vessel maturation or stability by loosening cell-matrix contacts and inducing endothelial apoptosis.

(Angiopoietin-2, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer protein, is involved in cell death promotion and counteracts the protection from apoptosis provided by BCL2.

(BAK1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Reactivating SETD1A function or counteracting downstream effects of SETD1A deficiency in the adult brain, perhaps with LSD1 inhibitors, may hold promise for treating schizophrenia’s cognitive deficits, suggest the researchers.

(Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice, National Institutes of Health)

I put three or four spokes over to counteract a sheer toward the wind on the part of the Ghost, and then steadied her.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Brm can counteract the repressive effect of polycomb protein and exhibits DNA-dependent ATPase activity.

(BRAHMA, NCI Thesaurus)

A weight designed to counteract the effects of another weight.

(Counterbalance Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

May also be necessary in order to counteract the effect of various chemotherapy treatments.

(Menopausal Symptoms Attenuation, NCI Thesaurus)

Multidrug Resistance Induction involves initiation of activities of biologic molecules or complexes involved in processes that increase the ability of cancer cells to counteract, defeat, or withstand the effects of multiple chemotherapeutic agents.

(Multidrug Resistance Induction, NCI Thesaurus)

An amino acid derivative used to counteract high blood pressure caused by interleukin-2.

(NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, NCI Dictionary)