: to remove the ovaries and uterus of (a female animal)
Examples of spay in a Sentence
Our cat has been spayed.
Recent Examples on the WebFor years, Barker ended every episode of Price with a plea to have pets spayed or neutered.—Lynette Rice, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2023 Soon after their labor, Mellow and Cheeto were spayed, Clever said.—Paloma Chavez, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024 This past February, Dunn’s shelter held a clinic for spaying and neutering outdoor cats.—Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024 The county contracts with an in-house vet that spays and neuters cats because the animal shelter doesn't have enough resources to provide surgeries themselves.—The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Now spayed, the 2-year-old dog named Nova is up for adoption at the Arizona Humane Society South Mountain Campus.—Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 To join the members-only club, dogs must pass a temperament test, be up to date on vaccinations and be spayed or neutered at 8 months.—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2024 Shiva is spayed, current on vaccinations and preventatives.—Stephanie Baillargeon-McCurry and, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024 Peanut is spayed, microchipped, licensed and current on vaccinations, and her adoption fee is $325.—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French espeer to pierce, castrate, from espee sword, from Latin spatha sword — more at spade
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