castrate

verb cas·trate \ ˈkas-ˌtrāt \

Examples: castrate in a Sentence

Definition of castrate

castrated; castrating

transitive verb

1 : to render impotent or deprive of vitality especially by psychological means

To share that with someone you love, without threatening him or making him feel castrated is difficult, you have to tread extremely carefully.
—Laura Singer

The bill was castrated by removal of the enforcement provisions.

2 a : to deprive of the testes : geld

b : to deprive of the ovaries (see ovary 1) : spay

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castration

play \kas-ˈtrā-shən\ noun

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castrator

play \-ˌtrā-tər\ noun

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castratory

play \ˈkas-trə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See castrate defined for English-language learners

See castrate defined for kids

Examples of castrate in a Sentence

Farmers castrated the bull calf.
a movie version that castrates the hard-hitting novel

Recent Examples of castrate from the Web

Members of the lynch mob cut off Hose’s ears and fingers one by one before castrating him.

— james forman jr., The Atlantic, "A History of Violence," 3 Sep. 2017
It's revealed that the men in the cult aren't allowed to masturbate, a policy which closely mirrors the rules of David Koresh's cult (Koresh fathered all of the children in the cult, and had every male member castrated).

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "American Horror Story: Cult Episode 9 Was About Kai's Grand Cult Ambitions," 1 Nov. 2017
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Trump’s comments were the equivalent of castrating the secretary in public.

— Fortune, "Rex Tillerson Downplays His Tensions with President Trump," 15 Oct. 2017
Samson was castrated and converted to Islam and became Hassan Aga the Chief Eunuch and Treasurer to the Ottoman ruler of Algiers.

— jerry brotton, The Atlantic, "The First Brexit Was Theological," 13 Sep. 2017
Suranart brought in a team of veterinarians to trap males and then castrate them.

— james hookway, WSJ, "Thai Navy’s Secret Weapon Against Marauding Monkeys: Vasectomies," 9 Aug. 2017
The expensive and easily injured animals are often castrated to improve their tempers.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "How Mule Racing Led to Mule Cloning," 4 May 2017
And here one is tempted to muse on the risks of direct democracy and the perilous downsides of castrating expertise while empowering the unwashed masses.

— seth stevenson, Slate Magazine, "The future of sports just might be the Screaming Eagles, a football team controlled by fans with smartphones.," 17 Feb. 2017
Yoshikawa also has to have enough castrated bulls with the right temperament to handle a harness, all between 3 and 7 years old — the ideal age, according to Yoshikawa.

— kelsey lindsey, Alaska Dispatch News, "Scientist looks to be ‘Japanese Santa,’ mushing reindeer across tundra," 28 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'castrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of castrate

Latin castratus, past participle of castrare; akin to Greek keazein to split, Sanskrit śasati he slaughters

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1554

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

castrate Synonyms

castrate

noun

Definition of castrate

plural castrates

: a castrated individual

Arango was a well-known celibate with a special devotion to St. Erasmus of Delft, the castrate.
— Donald Barthelme

Castration of meat-producing male animals has been widely used for a very long time, mainly for an easier control of their behaviour and the higher propensity of castrates to deposit fat, a commodity that has been in high demand until quite recently.
— Carrick Devine and M. Dikeman