neutralize

especially British, neu·tral·ise

[noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-]

verb (used with object)

neutralized, neutralizing 

1. to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.

2. to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify.

   carelessness that neutralized our efforts.

3. Military.,  to put out of action or make incapable of action.

   to neutralize an enemy position.

4. to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war.

   to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.

5. to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).

6. Electricity.,  to render electrically or magnetically neutral.

verb (used without object)

neutralized, neutralizing 

1. to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization.

   With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.

neutralize

/ ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (also intr) to render or become ineffective or neutral by counteracting, mixing, etc; nullify

2. (also intr) to make or become electrically or chemically neutral

3. to exclude (a country) from the sphere of warfare or alliances by international agreement

   the great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century

4. to render (an army) incapable of further military action

neutralize

1. 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.

Other Word Forms

• neutralizer noun
• overneutralize verb (used with object)
• overneutralizer noun
• reneutralize verb
• unneutralize verb (used with object)
• neutralization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of neutralize¹

First recorded in 1655–65; neutral + -ize

Example Sentences

“If conceived as an alternative to humans,” the pontiff said, the technology “can gravely violate their infinite dignity and neutralize their fundamental responsibilities.”

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NETs form when neutrophils release their DNA through a process called NETosis, creating thread-like structures filled with harmful enzymes that can quickly trap and neutralize invading microbes.

Read more on Science Daily

“Whether today’s move was pre-emptive and designed to neutralize an activist attack is a question best put to Folliard and his advisors,” added Bilson.

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"When bound to girdin, it detects invading pathogens and maintains gut immune balance by swiftly neutralizing them. Without this partnership, the NOD2 surveillance system collapses."

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Yet it hasn’t been able to neutralize one, whose unrelenting resistance has made him, in the eyes of supporters, the last militant leader still fighting in the Middle East.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• compensate for www.thesaurus.com
• counterbalance 
• negate 
• nullify 
• offset 
• overcome 
• redress 
• subdue