cancel out
phrasal verb
canceled out or cancelled out; canceling out or cancelling out; cancels out
: to reduce the effect of (something) : to be equal to (something) in force or importance but have an opposite effect
The costs cancel out the benefits.
Examples of cancel out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fulton and Edwards were canceled out by Ekeler and Johnson, because all four players signed for similar average annual values.
—
Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
The geography of the Southern Hemisphere cancels out the variations in Earth’s distance from the sun.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
That apparent protection is canceled out, however, by occasional binge drinking.
—Mustafa Fattah, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The student who was supposed to do volleyball for ESPN-plus canceled out.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cancel out 
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Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
The geography of the Southern Hemisphere cancels out the variations in Earth’s distance from the sun.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
That apparent protection is canceled out, however, by occasional binge drinking.
—Mustafa Fattah, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The student who was supposed to do volleyball for ESPN-plus canceled out.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cancel out
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Cite this Entry
“Cancel out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel%20out. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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