neuter

adjective

Save Word

neu·ter | \ ˈnü-tər

, ˈnyü- \

Definition of neuter

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to things classed as neither masculine nor feminine

b : neither active nor passive : intransitive

2 : taking no side : neutral

3 : lacking or having imperfectly developed or nonfunctional generative organs

neuter

noun

Definition of neuter (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the neuter gender

b : the neuter gender

2 : one that is neutral

3a : worker sense 2

b : a spayed or castrated animal

neuter

verb

neutered; neutering; neuters

Definition of neuter (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : castrate, alter

2 : to remove the force or effectiveness of

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About neuter

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for neuter

Synonyms: Verb

Examples of neuter in a Sentence

Adjective The pronoun “it” is neuter. Verb She had her dog neutered by the veterinarian. The bill was neutered by the changes made by the legislature.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective His weather segments always ended with a reminder for people watching at home to spay or neuter their pets. — cleveland, 4 Aug. 2020 The legendary weatherman, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 89, spent 55 years at WJW Channel 8, letting viewers know to expect sunshine, rain or snow -- sometimes all three in one day -- and reminding them to spay or neuter their pets. — cleveland, 4 Aug. 2020 Spay/neuter laws Mandatory spay/neuter laws are aimed to prevent animal overpopulation, and are often enacted at the local level. — Ivana Hrynkiw, AL.com, 27 Oct. 2017 The plan to neuter hurricanes involved a series of observations and deductions, with each step built upon the last. — Sam Kean, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2017 On Feb. 19, Wheaton, founder of the Alicia Pet Care Center, will hold the fifth annual free spay and neuter day in memory of Ford Petersen, an employee who died Feb. 11, 2013, at age 21, from a congenital heart condition. — Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun About 80% of clients who use the organization’s free spay and neuter program, however, are Latino. — Megan Taros, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2021 Adoption fee includes spay/neuter and up-to-date vaccinations along with microchipping for identification. — Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2021 The report recommended that Dallas Animal Services perform 46,000 free spay-and-neuter surgeries per year for three years, take more dogs off the streets and reduce its use of euthanasia. — Tom Steele, Dallas News, 26 Mar. 2021 Adoption fee includes spay/neuter and up-to-date vaccinations along with micro-chipping for identification. — Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2021 Adoption fee includes spay/neuter and up-to-date vaccinations along with micro-chipping for identification. — Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2021 Debbie also runs the Waterloo Alley Cat Project, a nonprofit trap-neuter-return volunteer effort to help the neighborhood strays, behind the store. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, 1 Mar. 2021 The rescue/shelter pays for vetting fees such as spay/neuter, heartworm treatment, and vaccines. — Detroit Free Press, 4 Feb. 2021 There is no city or state funding for organizations that trap, neuter and return cats to the streets. — New York Times, 15 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Oregon State’s offense managed just four hits and did not advance a runner past first base until the fifth inning on Friday, as the Stanford pitching staff continued to neuter the Beavers’ bats. — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 28 May 2021 Now the Premier League is working to neuter those clubs further with punishments and measures to stop them playing the same bargaining chip again, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. — Rob Harris, Star Tribune, 22 Apr. 2021 Second, cat owners should be required to spay and neuter their cats to reduce the number of unwanted litters and the dumping of stray cats. — Anthony Ham, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Mar. 2021 But after a landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates in district council elections in 2019, even a small possibility of embarrassment appears to be enough for Beijing to neuter the local bodies entirely. — James Griffiths, CNN, 23 Feb. 2021 Even so, that first and second group still need to neuter the backdoor to prevent future access. — Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 19 Dec. 2020 The level of access the hacker achieved was enough to neuter just about any defense. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 14 Dec. 2020 President Trump’s push to neuter Iran internationally became a defining focus of his foreign policy. — Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2020 Who has a defensive scheme to completely neuter his athleticism? — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 24 Sep. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More About neuter

Dictionary Entries Near neuter

Statistics for neuter

Cite this Entry

“Neuter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuter. Accessed 22 Jun. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for neuter

neuter

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of neuter

(Entry 1 of 2)

grammar, in some languages : of or belonging to the class of words (called a gender) that ordinarily includes most of the words referring to things that are neither masculine nor feminine

neuter

verb

English Language Learners Definition of neuter (Entry 2 of 2)

: to remove the sex organs from (an animal)

disapproving : to make (something) much less powerful or effective

See the full definition for neuter in the English Language Learners Dictionary

neuter

verb

neu·ter | \ ˈnü-tər

, ˈnyü- \

neutered; neutering