cancel out

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˈkænsəl ˈaʊt/
US: /ˈkænsəl ˈaʊt/

  1. To negate or neutralize the effect of something.

    1. The rain will cancel out the picnic plans, so we'll stay home.
    2. These positive and negative numbers cancel out, resulting in zero when added together.

  2. To be of equal and opposite effect, resulting in a net value of zero.

    1. The two opposing forces will cancel out, if they are perfectly balanced.
    2. The benefits and drawbacks of the new policy seem to cancel out, making it difficult to decide.

  3. To eliminate or remove something, often by counteraction.

    1. We can cancel out the meeting, if nobody can attend it today.
    2. The software update should cancel out the bugs that were causing problems before.

Synonyms

negate nullify offset counteract neutralize eliminate

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "cancel out" in English means: To negate or neutralize the effect of something., To be of equal and opposite effect, resulting in a net value of zero., To eliminate or remove something, often by counteraction..

The phonetic transcription of "cancel out" is /ˈkænsəl ˈaʊt/ in British English and /ˈkænsəl ˈaʊt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "cancel out": negate, nullify, offset, counteract, neutralize, eliminate.

Example usage of "cancel out": "The rain will cancel out the picnic plans, so we'll stay home.". More examples on the page.