noun
Meaning 1
An action performed in opposition to another action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
counteract
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈkaʊntəɹˌækt/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ækt
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/ˌkaʊntəɹˈækt/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: K AW1 N T ER0 AE2 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To have a contrary or opposing effect or force on someone or something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- 1911, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Dome In India, in the “great mosque” of Jama Masjid (a.d. 1560) and the Gol Gumbaz, or tomb of Mahommed Adil Shah (a.d. 1630) at Bijapur, the domes are carried on pendentives consisting of arches crossing one another and projecting inwards, and their weight counteracts any thrust there may be in the dome.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: offset, counterpoise
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To deliberately act in opposition to, to thwart or frustrate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- 2016, Margaret Corvid writing in the New Statesman, Five practical things you can do to fight Donald Trump if you live in the UK When people hear my American accent, they want to talk to me about Donald Trump. They want to ask me what happened, and why. But most of all, they ask me – with fear filling their voices – what they can do, as individuals, to counteract him, here, from the United Kingdom.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
destroy property or hinder normal operations
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The Resistance sabotaged railroad operations during the war
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sabotage, undermine, countermine, subvert, weaken
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disobey
Narrower terms: derail
verb
Meaning 5
oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- This will counteract the foolish actions of my colleagues
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: countervail, neutralize, counterbalance
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cancel, offset, set off
Narrower terms: override
verb
Meaning 6
act in opposition to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: antagonize, antagonise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: act, move
verb
Meaning 7
oppose or check by a counteraction
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: countercheck
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Latin ācta Old French actbor. Middle English acte English act English counteract From counter- + act.
Across languages
Translations
23 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Norwegian Bokmål: motvirke — to have a contrary or opposing effect on someone or something
- Bulgarian: противодействам (protivodejstvam) — to act in opposition to
- Dutch: tegengaan — to act in opposition to
- Esperanto: kontraŭagi — to act in opposition to
- Finnish: vastustaa — to act in opposition to
- German: entgegenwirken — to act in opposition to
- German: bekämpfen — to act in opposition to
- Greek: αντενεργώ (antenergó) — to act in opposition to
- Greek: αντιδρώ (antidró) — to act in opposition to
- Greek: αντιπράττω (antiprátto) — to act in opposition to
- Ancient Greek: ἀντιπράσσω (antiprássō) — to act in opposition to
- Hungarian: ellensúlyoz — to act in opposition to
- Italian: contrastare — to act in opposition to
- Kannada: ಮಲೆ — to act in opposition to
- Kannada: ಮಾರು (māru) — to act in opposition to
- Norwegian Bokmål: motvirke — to act in opposition to
- Norwegian Bokmål: motarbeide — to act in opposition to
- Polish: przeciwdziałać — to act in opposition to
- Russian: противоде́йствовать (protivodéjstvovatʹ) — to act in opposition to
- Russian: противостоять (protivostojatʹ) — to act in opposition to
- Spanish: contrarrestar — to act in opposition to
- Swedish: motverka — to act in opposition to
- Ukrainian: протиді́яти (protydíjaty) — to act in opposition to
Real reading context