cancel out
[verb]
Synonyms: neutralize, annul, counteract, countercheck, frustrate, negate, negative, redress

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

cancel something ↔ out phrasal verb (see also cancel)
if two things cancel each other out, they are equally important and have an opposite effect to each other, so that neither one has any effect ⇒ negate:
The losses in our overseas division have cancelled out the profits made in the home market.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

cancel out
to destroy the effect of something
The overeating by the girl cancelled out the benefits of her exercise.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cancel something out
to destroy the effect of something
The overeating by the girl cancelled out the benefits of her exercise.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cancel out
v. To destroy the effect of; balance or make useless.
The boy got an "A" in history to cancel out the "C" he got in arithmetic.
Our track team won the mile relay to cancel out the other team's advantage in winning the half-mile relay.
Tom's hot temper cancels out his skill as a player.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲