cancel out

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.
Categories: verb
Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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