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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Recent Examples of geld
Gegen and his 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding One Question raced through the course in 44.686 seconds for the win.
—
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for geld
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for geld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for geld
Verb
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The judge said the government has undermined its history of recognizing the importance of involving independent experts in setting the national public health agenda.—
Lena H. Sun,
Washington Post,
16 Mar. 2026
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A number of leading medical groups raised alarms that the vaccine recommendation changes made under Kennedy would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After his conviction, Turing was chemically castrated.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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By way of example, Morris points to a scene in Wiseman's 1993 documentary Zoo, in which an all-women surgical team at Miami zoo castrates a wolf.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When presidents sidestep formal addresses and Congress declines to insist upon them, the deliberative architecture of the republic weakens.—
Kenneth Zagacki,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
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High supply and weakening renter demand have apartment landlords living in an ever-more competitive space.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Taking walks or attending a child’s school function can be reinvigorating for people who get drained from sitting at a desk or looking at a computer screen, supporters say.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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At the time, her attorney said the legal battle had become too emotionally and financially draining, while impacting her physical health.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez , Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Carvalho and district officials have acknowledged a multibillion-dollar reserve but have insisted that ongoing commitments and declining revenue are on track to exhaust those reserves in about three years, unless the district adopts austerity measures.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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As investors, including Marc Andreessen, warn that AI companies are ‘running out’ of high‑quality human data and studies project that public web data for training could be exhausted within the next decade.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Richins, wearing a white blouse with pale blue and peach-colored flowers on it, looked down and began breathing heavily when the verdict was announced.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Police and David’s family say that David, a sophomore at Sequoia High in Redwood City, had no gang ties and was wearing the jacket to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend, who wore a pink hoodie that night.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Geld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/geld. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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