neutralize
to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify: carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
Military. to put out of action or make incapable of action: to neutralize an enemy position.
to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war: to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
Electricity. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization: With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.
Origin of neutralize
1- Also especially British, neu·tral·ise .
Other words from neutralize
- neu·tral·iz·er, noun
- o·ver·neu·tral·ize, verb (used with object), o·ver·neu·tral·ized, o·ver·neu·tral·iz·ing.
- o·ver·neu·tral·iz·er, noun
- re·neu·tral·ize, verb, re·neu·tral·ized, re·neu·tral·iz·ing.
- un·neu·tral·ize, verb (used with object), un·neu·tral·ized, un·neu·tral·iz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use neutralize in a sentence
Love of money was throughout the bane of Loftus, and went far to neutralise the good effects of his learning and eloquence.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3) | Richard BagwellFor the effects are opposed to one another, and neutralise each other even in the same object.
Solomon Maimon: An Autobiography. | Solomon MaimonThe pope, in entrusting the publication of the bull to Eck, had committed a blunder which was destined to neutralise its effect.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Vol 2 | J. H. Merle D'AubignNeutralise carefully to litmus paper by the successive additions of small quantities of normal soda solution.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry EyreNeutralise to litmus by the addition of n/1 caustic soda solution and boil.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry Eyre
British Dictionary definitions for neutralize
neutralise
/ (ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz) /
(also intr) to render or become ineffective or neutral by counteracting, mixing, etc; nullify
(also intr) to make or become electrically or chemically neutral
to exclude (a country) from the sphere of warfare or alliances by international agreement: the great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century
to render (an army) incapable of further military action
Derived forms of neutralize
- neutralization or neutralisation, noun
- neutralizer or neutraliser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for neutralize
[ nōō′trə-līz′ ]
To cause an acidic solution to become neutral by adding a base to it or to cause a basic solution to become neutral by adding an acid to it. Salt and water are usually formed in the process.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse