How to Use counteract in a Sentence

counteract

verb
  • The drug will counteract the poison.
  • For example, if the car turns right the dots will float across to the left to counteract the motion of the car.
    — Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 16 May 2024
  • The crunchy peanuts and a sprinkle of fleur de sel counteract the sweetness of the caramel, which acts as a binder.
    — New York Times, 1 Apr. 2022
  • The only way to counteract that is to try and find a few hours in the day to make sure to spend a few hours out of AC.
    — Jason Thomas Gordon, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Again, the goal is to balance and counteract the saltiness, not make the gravy sweet.
    — Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Whenever the Dodgers threw a punch, the Braves found a way to counteract it.
    — Jaylon Thompson, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2021
  • To counteract, throw a pinch over your left shoulder to ward off evil.
    — Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 13 Dec. 2024
  • And thus there's not much that can be done to counteract those price pressures.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN, 13 Jan. 2022
  • To counteract the wind, the Patriots threw the ball only three times all game.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2021
  • To counteract this effect, the ship has to be steered at an angle.
    — Francesca Street, CNN, 29 Apr. 2022
  • The strategy aimed in part to counteract the risk of music leaks.
    — Neil Shah, WSJ, 16 June 2022
  • All through the night, Pembridge and his team slowly angled into the waves to try and counteract the impact of the wind.
    — Francesca Street, CNN, 29 Apr. 2022
  • The best way to counteract mindless scrolling is with mindful scrolling.
    — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2021
  • It’s meant to help the skin and muscles relax to counteract the signs of aging by smoothing folds and wrinkles.
    — Enrica Petraglia, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2025
  • This is a good thing, as this device helps to counteract the effect of the weight of your breasts pulling your chest and front side forward, Smith says.
    — Women's Health, 17 May 2023
  • As a bonus, these come complete with arch support to help counteract the higher heel.
    — Mallory Pitts, chicagotribune.com, 27 Feb. 2021
  • This could counteract the savings that the reforms are meant to create.
    — Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Feb. 2023
  • In the end, these two effects counteract and produce a zero field.
    — Rhett Allain, WIRED, 7 Oct. 2022
  • And Ukraine is maybe the only state in our part of the world which in all these ten years has been trying to counteract this negative trend.
    — Time, 7 Oct. 2022
  • With keen radar, managers can counteract these dynamics to keep the team in sync.
    — Marita Decker, Forbes, 11 May 2021
  • This helps counteract the numbing feeling of an endless to-do list.
    — Mark Cunningham, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Once again, the room has a pop of color with green seating counteracting the simple black and white features of the home.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 16 May 2023
  • With one foot back, the upward-pushing force from the floor would counteract the rotation of the other two forces.
    — Rhett Allain, WIRED, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Deep breathing is one way to help counteract the stress response and allow your body and mind to feel more relaxed.
    — Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 26 July 2021
  • The small space doesn’t allow for a retractable roof, but the A’s are hoping to counteract that with the large window facing the strip beyond the outfield.
    — Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024
  • Many patients were in need of naloxone, used to counteract the effects of opioids.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2021
  • Older skiers can counteract the effects with two hard and fast rules: Be willing to train and know your limits on the slopes.
    — Jen Murphy, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2023
  • The lack of a live audience is one issue NBC is working hard to counteract.
    — David Bauder, Star Tribune, 16 July 2021
  • To counteract dryness that can sometimes come with exfoliation, this serum also includes panthenol, a humectant that helps attract moisture to the skin.
    — Deanna Pai, Allure, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Working compost into the soil or applying it as a topdressing slowly improves soil structure and counteracts compact soils and pH issues.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counteract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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