neutralize

[ noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo- ]

/ ˈnu trəˌlaɪz, ˈnyu- /

verb (used with object), neu·tral·ized, neu·tral·iz·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), neu·tral·ized, neu·tral·iz·ing.

to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization: With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.

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Also especially British, neu·tral·ise.

Origin of neutralize

First recorded in 1655–65; neutral + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM neutralize

neu·tral·iz·er, nouno·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, nounre·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.

Words nearby neutralize

neutralist, neutrality, neutralization, neutralization plate, neutralization test, neutralize, neutralizing antibody, neutretto, neutrino, neutrino astronomy, neutro-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for neutralise

Their circles may intersect, yet they are practically independent, and cannot neutralise one another.
The Gateless Barrier|Lucas Malet
The excess of one or other of the re-agents may be large or small; or, in some cases, they may neutralise each other.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer
And there were jealousies between Normans, English, and Welsh, which went far to neutralise the strength of the colony.
Ireland under the Tudors, Volume I (of II)|Richard Bagwell
If required for delicate work, neutralise the acid with chalk.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

Let him neutralise the treachery into which a moment of human weakness betrayed him.
The Trampling of the Lilies|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for neutralise

neutralize

neutralise

/ (ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz) /

verb (mainly tr)

(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 agreementthe great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century

to render (an army) incapable of further military action

Derived forms of neutralize

neutralization or neutralisation, nounneutralizer 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 neutralise

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.