spay

verb

ˈspā

nonstandard ˈspād

spayed ˈspād

nonstandard ˈspā-dəd

; spaying ˈspā-iŋ

nonstandard ˈspā-diŋ

Synonyms of spay next

transitive verb

: to remove the ovaries and uterus of (a female animal)

Example Sentences

Our cat has been spayed.

Recent Examples on the Web She also wasn't spayed, hadn't been seen by a veterinarian in quite a while, hadn't been bathed, had a double ear infection and some liver issues. —

Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023 Those puppies — if not spayed and neutered — then go on to reproduce, too, and the number of potcakes expands exponentially. —

Sydney Page, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2023 All the dogs will be spayed or neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations, the release said. —

Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 May 2023 Instead of evicting the cats, Disneyland’s animal wranglers worked to control the feline population by spaying and neutering the adult cats and finding homes for all kittens born in the resort. —

Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023 Dogs that are not neutered or spayed can produce a line of thousands of puppies in the span of only a few years. —

Sydney Page, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2023 Since the program began in 1997, more than 35,000 feral cats on Long Island have been spayed or neutered through Operation Cat. —

Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 1 Apr. 2023 Johnson says one action that can help otters is spaying and neutering cats and managing feral cat populations. —

Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 22 Mar. 2023 Each animal is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and has a county license tag. —

Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2023 See More

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.