neutral zone
noun
plural neutral zones
1
American football
: a space between the two lines of scrimmage equivalent to the length of the ball that may not be encroached upon by either team until the ball is put in play
2
ice hockey
: the portion of a rink (see rink sense 1a) between the attacking and defensive zones
3
: a zone or area of shared ownership or administration
In fact, the Saudis and Kuwaitis aid the Iraqis … by selling Iraqi oil from the neutral zone, a favor that pumps more than $3 million a day into Iraqi coffers.—
Newsweek
NewsweekExamples of neutral zone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Edmonton gets Nurse help, Panthers three-goal lead gone The Panthers spent most of the second period pinned into react mode, allowing Edmonton neutral zone space to rev up their assaults on the Panthers zone.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
His backhand clearing attempt was knocked down easily on the way to Buchnevich’s first goal, while a poor neutral zone sort out contributed to Fowler’s 3-0 goal later in the frame.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Heading into the 2023-24 season, Woodcraft changed Edmonton’s neutral zone defensive formation to a 1-1-3 structure.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
In the final deal, Finland ceded large stretches of land along the Soviet border, agreed to lease a Baltic peninsula to the Soviet Union for 30 years, and permitted the creation of a neutral zone.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025
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Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
His backhand clearing attempt was knocked down easily on the way to Buchnevich’s first goal, while a poor neutral zone sort out contributed to Fowler’s 3-0 goal later in the frame.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Heading into the 2023-24 season, Woodcraft changed Edmonton’s neutral zone defensive formation to a 1-1-3 structure.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
In the final deal, Finland ceded large stretches of land along the Soviet border, agreed to lease a Baltic peninsula to the Soviet Union for 30 years, and permitted the creation of a neutral zone.
—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for neutral zone
Cite this Entry
“Neutral zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutral%20zone. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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