neutralize

[ noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo- ]

/ ˈnu trəˌlaɪz, ˈnyu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR neutralize ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Also especially British, neu·tral·ise.

Origin of neutralize

First recorded in 1655–65; neutral + -ize

Related forms

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neutralize

The serum failed to neutralize the virus in subsequent tests and seemed to offer little protection in animal experiments.
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It is fair to assume that the IDF would move immediately to neutralize the threat.
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The letter that Indian M.P.s wrote was an effort to exert counter-pressure and neutralize that campaign.
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Unless we neutralize the air assets with the no-fly zone, this bleeding will continue.
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He posed a challenge for the church: he was too revered not to claim, too radical not to neutralize.
Who Is Pope Francis? Six Best Reads on Jorge Mario Bergoglio|The Daily Beast|March 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Thus he expected to neutralize the evil effects of the Baital's doctrine touching the amiability of parents unlike himself.
Vikram and the Vampire|Richard F. Burton
This it is necessary to neutralize, by permitting rays from another source to fall upon the opposite face of the pile.
Six Lectures on Light|John Tyndall
You had better commit the unintelligible jargon to the flames, than by the agency of construction, neutralize wisdom by folly.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various
Under certain conditions light added to light produces darkness; the light waves interfere with and neutralize each other.
Some Christian Convictions|Henry Sloane Coffin
Only covert conspiracy can neutralize the popular wave following Broderick's death.
The Little Lady of Lagunitas|Richard Henry Savage

British Dictionary definitions for neutralize

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 Formsneutralization 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

Word Origin and History for neutralize

neutralize

1734, "to render neutral" (in a chemical sense), from French neutraliser (17c.), from neutral (see neutral (adj.)). Meaning "to counterbalance, to kill by opposing" is from 1795. Related: Neutralized; neutralizing.

Science definitions for neutralize

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.