neuter

1 of 3

adjective

neu·​ter ˈnü-tər 

ˈnyü-

1

a

: 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

2 of 3

noun

1

a

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

b

: the neuter gender

2

: one that is neutral

3

a

: worker sense 2

b

: a spayed or castrated animal

neuter

3 of 3

verb

neutered; neutering; neuters

transitive verb

1

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter

a neutered cat

2

: to remove the force or effectiveness of (someone or something)

Democrats say those changes would effectively neuter the bureau and hand the financial industry yet another victory over the little guy.

—Michael Crowley

Synonyms of neuter

Verb

• alter
• fix

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

The Veterinary Medical Complex is expected to include a veterinary education pavilion, primary care hospital, small animal hospital, large animal hospital, veterinary cancer center, raptor center facilities and a spay and neuter clinic, according to the project’s website. —Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026

The nonprofit said the funding will increase its free spay/neuter capacity from 1,000 surgeries in 2025 to 4,800 in 2026 and 6,000 annually at full scale. —Rashad Williams, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

Noun

The nonprofit oversaw adoption, offered spay-neuter services, and conducted community outreach and education programs. —City News Service, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026

Commissioners also sought to amend the ordinance to require cats to also undergo spay or neuter, among other recommendations. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Verb

San Joaquin County leaders are considering a proposal that would require pets taken into shelters to be spayed or neutered before being returned to their owners. —Nina Burns, CBS News, 5 May 2026

The animal groups have set up a staging area with play yards in Wisconsin, where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered and prepared for transport, Simmons said. —David Fischer, Fortune, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English neutre, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French neutre, from Latin neuter, literally, neither, from ne- not + uter which of two — more at no, whether entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for neuter

• pewter
• router
• scooter
• shooter
• suitor
• tutor
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• microcomputer
• minicomputer

Kids Definition

neuter

1 of 3 adjective

neu·​ter ˈn(y)üt-ər 

1

: relating to or being the class of words that ordinarily includes most of those referring to things that are neither male nor female

a neuter noun

the neuter gender

2

: lacking sex organs

also : having imperfectly developed sex organs

neuter

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a word or form of the neuter gender

b

: the neuter gender

2

: worker sense 2

neuter

3 of 3 verb

: castrate, alter sense 2

Medical Definition

neuter

1 of 2 noun

neu·​ter ˈn(y)üt-ər 

: a spayed or castrated animal (as a cat)

neuter

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter