castrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to remove the testes of; emasculate; geld.
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to remove the ovaries of.
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Psychology. to render impotent, literally or metaphorically, by psychological means, especially by threatening a person's masculinity or femininity.
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to deprive of strength, power, or efficiency; weaken.
Without those ten new submarines, our navy will be castrated.
noun
verb
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to remove the testicles of; emasculate; geld
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to deprive of vigour, masculinity, etc
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to remove the ovaries of; spay
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to expurgate or censor (a book, play, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of castrate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin castrātus, past participle of castrāre “to geld,” equivalent to castr- “geld” + -ātus past participle suffix; see -ate 1
Explanation
To castrate a male animal is to surgically remove its testicles. A veterinarian castrates a male dog to ensure that it can't mate with a female and produce unwanted puppies. People often choose to castrate pets or farm animals to keep them from reproducing. Castrate is one of several words used to refer to this process; most pet owners prefer terms such as neuter or fix. Castrate comes from a Latin root, castrare, which means not just "to castrate," but also "to prune." The word has also come to mean "to take away strength."
Vocabulary lists containing castrate
Ender's Game
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While the World Watched
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another contract would provide funding to DonkeyLand to castrate 100 donkeys within a year.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025
“I said, ‘Ben, I’m going to tell you something: Keep this one ’cause you’ll never find another one who will castrate a calf and ride a motorcycle,’” Ms. Carson recalled.
From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2021
The anxiety of influence can trigger hysterical pastiche or castrate an author’s creativity.
From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2020
“Lay people can castrate and dehorn, but they don’t always recognize if an animal is sick,” he said.
From Washington Times • Mar. 21, 2020
And if you asked him to, he could geld a pony or castrate a pig with the same kind of delicate authoritative finesse Michelangelo must have used carving his Pietd.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
