counteract

counteract — verb

1. to take an action that works against another action or influence, especially a h

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to take an action that works against another action or influence, especially a harmful or unwanted one, so that the original effect becomes less strong or disappears

Example

Doctors gave Kian a special medicine to counteract the snake venom.

counteract + noun [specific harmful substance]

Adding more bike lanes can counteract the problem of heavy traffic in the city.

counteract + noun [problem/issue]

Common collocations
  • counteract the effects of
  • counteract the impact of
  • counteract the influence of
  • counteract the damage
  • counteract a problem
  • counteract a poison
  • counteract a threat
  • counteract inflammation
  • counteract bitterness
  • counteract stress
Synonyms
  • neutralize

    stronger emphasis on making something completely harmless, especially in chemical or military contexts

  • offset

    more about balancing or compensating for an effect rather than actively fighting it; common in business and finance

  • counterbalance

    suggests an equal opposing force, like a weight on a scale; often used in physical or abstract balancing

  • negate

    more formal, implies cancelling something out completely; often used in logic or philosophy

Antonyms
  • reinforce

    to strengthen or amplify an effect rather than weaken it

  • amplify

    to make something stronger or more noticeable, the opposite of reducing its impact

Grammar Patterns

counteract + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly used with nouns referring to harmful or unwanted forces: effect, impact, influence, problem, damage, poison, or feeling. The subject of counteract is typically an action, substance, or measure — not a person's intent alone.

Common Mistakes

The medicine counteracted.
The medicine counteracted the poison.
counteract always needs a direct object; it is a transitive verb.
We need to counteract before the damage gets worse.
We need to counteract the damage before it gets worse.
the object of counteract must be stated explicitly.

Word family

  • counteraction
    nounC1
  • counteractive
    adjectiveC1
  • counteractor
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe reducing or cancelling an effect, but they differ in tone and scope. Neutralize is the strongest — it implies making something completely harmless, as in 'The antidote neutralized the toxin.' Offset is about compensation: one thing balances another without necessarily fighting it, common in finance ('The bonus offset the low salary'). Counterbalance suggests a physical or metaphorical equal force ('Her calm manner counterbalanced his temper'). Negate is the most formal and absolute, often used in logic ('One argument negates the other'). For everyday use, counteract is the broadest and most neutral choice; neutralize or offset are better when you want to be more specific about how the effect is stopped.

neutralizeoffset ↗counterbalancenegate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • effectively counteract
  • successfully counteract
  • partially counteract
  • quickly counteract
  • directly counteract

Phrases

  • help counteract
  • designed to counteract
  • aimed at counteracting
  • in order to counteract

Prepositions

  • counteract against
  • counteract with

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Counteract combines the Latin prefix contra- (meaning 'against') with the verb agere (meaning 'to do, act, drive'). It entered English in the 1600s, first used in medical and military contexts to describe opposing forces. The modern meaning — reducing an unwanted effect through an opposite action — has broadened to include social, economic, and environmental situations.