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
Joel Eriksson Ek forced a neutral zone turnover and passed to Kaprizov at the blue line.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2024
Cats have a high thermal neutral zone — the temperature at which the body doesn’t need to spend energy to heat up or cool down.
—Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Early in the third period, a neutral zone turnover by the Pride resulted in an unassisted goal by Sidney Morin, giving the Whitecaps a two-goal cushion.
—Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023
But on fourth down, Warren Saba was flagged for a neutral zone infraction, giving Pittsburgh a fresh set of downs.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 25 June 2023
In Week 4, Dallas was flagged just four times for 20 yards — two false starts, one neutral zone infraction and a defensive holding — compared with the Commanders’ 11 penalties for 136 yards.
—Dallas News, 16 Dec. 2022
Pushes the play forward in neutral zone.
—Kyle Woodlief, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022
That neutral zone’s going to be clogged.
—Stephen Whyno, The Denver Post, 27 May 2020
There is a neutral zone that is much easier to attain.
—Joanna Dutra, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022
John Shipley, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2024
Cats have a high thermal neutral zone — the temperature at which the body doesn’t need to spend energy to heat up or cool down.
—Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Early in the third period, a neutral zone turnover by the Pride resulted in an unassisted goal by Sidney Morin, giving the Whitecaps a two-goal cushion.
—Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023
But on fourth down, Warren Saba was flagged for a neutral zone infraction, giving Pittsburgh a fresh set of downs.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 25 June 2023
In Week 4, Dallas was flagged just four times for 20 yards — two false starts, one neutral zone infraction and a defensive holding — compared with the Commanders’ 11 penalties for 136 yards.
—Dallas News, 16 Dec. 2022
Pushes the play forward in neutral zone.
—Kyle Woodlief, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022
That neutral zone’s going to be clogged.
—Stephen Whyno, The Denver Post, 27 May 2020
There is a neutral zone that is much easier to attain.
—Joanna Dutra, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neutral zone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near neutral zone
Cite this Entry
“Neutral zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutral%20zone. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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