neuter
Americanadjective
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Grammar.
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noting or pertaining to a gender that refers to things classed as neither masculine nor feminine.
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(of a verb) intransitive.
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Zoology, Botany. having no organs of reproduction; without sex; asexual.
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Zoology. having imperfectly developed sexual organs, as the worker bees and ants.
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neutral; siding with no one.
noun
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neuters
plural
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Grammar.
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the neuter gender.
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a noun of that gender.
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another element marking that gender.
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an intransitive verb.
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an animal made sterile by castration or spaying.
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Zoology. a neuter insect.
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a person or thing that is neutral.
verb (used with object)
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neuters,
present (3rd person singular)
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neutered,
past participle, past
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neutering
present participle
adjective
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grammar
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denoting or belonging to a gender of nouns which for the most part have inanimate referents or do not specify the sex of their referents
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( as noun )
German ``Mädchen'' (meaning ``girl'') is a neuter
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(of animals and plants) having nonfunctional, underdeveloped, or absent reproductive organs
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sexless or giving no indication of sex
a neuter sort of name
noun
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a sexually underdeveloped female insect, such as a worker bee
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a castrated animal, esp a domestic animal
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a flower in which the stamens and pistil are absent or nonfunctional
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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neutersimple
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neuterssimple
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have neuteredperfect
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has neuteredperfect
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am neuteringprogressive
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are neuteringprogressive
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is neuteringprogressive
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have been neuteringperfect progressive
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has been neuteringperfect progressive
Past
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neuteredsimple
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had neuteredperfect
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was neuteringprogressive
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were neuteringprogressive
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had been neuteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of neuter
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin neuter “neither (of two),” equivalent to ne “not” + uter “either (of two)”; replacing Middle English neutre, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
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.
See Examples For:
As they exited the modeling industry, they pivoted into animal activism and volunteering for rescue groups and trap, neuter and return programs for cats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Others also neuter stray cats and dogs to stop their populations from growing.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
His legislation would also provide free vaccinations and spay or neuter services to the felines.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
To admit facts but strip them of consequence is to neuter the Fourth Amendment’s reasonableness standard.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2025
Factum, the neuter past participle, means ‘that which has been done’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
As a key oil producer, Saudi Arabia is relied upon to surge output and stabilize markets during crises, but any physical degradation of its export capacity neuters this critical fail-safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
The group feeds, spays and neuters cats, and places them into adoption.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
It truly does set you free because it neuters the power of others’ narratives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
Those feelings of rage, and how the bully behaves, neuters and neutralizes them.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2022
Further and more striking examples of such Sex-transformation are afforded by so-called "mules," or "neuters," which occur in other species.
From Feminism and Sex-Extinction by Arabella Kenealy
"When he first moved in he hadn't been chipped or neutered, so that's all taken care of," Dunkley said.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“The IRS is neutered right now,” Granado-Gomez said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
Such clout also made Zhang a potential alternate power center to Xi, who has routinely neutered even latent threats to his dominance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
Maybe it’s steerish, a steer being a neutered bull.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Not pure merchandise as formerly but livestock: bred, neutered.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
She is also an advocate for making spaying and neutering, which typically costs several hundred dollars, more affordable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Most of the animals that come in require medical treatment, neutering and surgery, which can become costly for the sanctuary, and they need new foster homes to be readily available.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
These would include vet visits, mandatory spaying or neutering, and ensuring the cats have sufficient food, water and a safe place to sleep.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
They specifically looked at the correlation between neutering or spaying a dog before 1 year of age and a dog's risk of developing certain cancers.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2024
This past February, Dunn’s shelter held a clinic for spaying and neutering outdoor cats.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2024
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.
