as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
by the time of the fourth rewrite, the screenplay had pretty much been gelded of all originality
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of geld
Because Moscow retains a close partner in this effort to geld Ukraine—a vassal state that presents the model for what Putin would like to accomplish in Ukraine: Belarus.
—
Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Yet on May 8, 1920 — 100 years ago Friday — Man o’ War was conspicuously absent from Churchill Downs, neither entered nor even nominated for the 46th Derby won by the gelding Paul Jones.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2020
Following the bad start, the gelding angled in for clearance and finished fairly well far back while guzzled nearing the wire.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2020
Fuchs, riding the experienced gelding Clooney 51, and Maher with Explosion W, produced four flawless rounds over two days to win the final event of the regular season.
—Danielle Rossingh, CNN, 29 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for geld
Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Yet on May 8, 1920 — 100 years ago Friday — Man o’ War was conspicuously absent from Churchill Downs, neither entered nor even nominated for the 46th Derby won by the gelding Paul Jones.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2020
Following the bad start, the gelding angled in for clearance and finished fairly well far back while guzzled nearing the wire.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2020
Fuchs, riding the experienced gelding Clooney 51, and Maher with Explosion W, produced four flawless rounds over two days to win the final event of the regular season.
—Danielle Rossingh, CNN, 29 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for geld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for geld
Verb
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That changes the nature of those devices and undermines the reason to buy an iPhone in the first place.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Even for a politician known for erratic policy shifts, this swap—of longtime democratic partners that have sacrificed much for America’s benefit in exchange for an authoritarian regime intent on undermining it—is bizarre.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Set in the Italian opera world of the 1700s, Rice’s novel tells the not-for-the-squeamish story of two male soprano singers who were castrated as boys in order to maintain their high voices.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 Nov. 2025
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The book follows two men pursuing opera in 18th-century Italy — one, named Guido, is castrated to preserve his soprano singing voice, and the other, Tonio, is castrated by his brother Carlo in an attempt to control their family line.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The finance minister’s comments come after Takaichi sent a fresh warning on Sunday that the government will be ready to take action amid a weakening yen and surging bond yields.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Over the past day, the trough that was keeping the storm track far away from us here has weakened, allowing the track to be closer to us.—
Ron Smiley,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If the water is shut off, pipes should be fully drained by flushing toilets and running faucets.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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The drain stack is the main vertical pipe, and water should reach it quickly and drain downward.—
Kamron Sanders,
The Spruce,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gentry had both of those things, but he is headed to the NFL after exhausting his eligibility.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
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With costs accelerating and incremental fixes exhausted, healthcare is approaching a breaking point.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Adding onto the wear-and-tear element was that Monday’s game was a back-to-back, one caused by Saturday’s matchup being postponed to Sunday after a federal immigration agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The suspect is described as a man about six feet tall, wearing a black hoodie and black pants.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
28 Nov. 2025
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You'll be petrified by the violence inflicted upon boys who only wanted a chance to pull their families out of financial duress and have an opportunity at a comfortable life afforded to most of us sitting in our seats.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Geld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/geld. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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