Synonyms

neutralize

American

[noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-] / ˈnu trəˌlaɪz, ˈnju- /

especially British, neutralise

verb (used with object)

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)

to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization.

With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.

neutralize British

/ ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz /

verb

(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

"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

neutralize Scientific

/ no̅o̅′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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of neutralize

First recorded in 1655–65; neutral + -ize

Explanation

When you neutralize something, you make it harmless or ineffective — usually by applying its opposite force, like pouring water on a fire. The world neutral was first used to describe a country that doesn’t take sides in a war, like Switzerland. There’s something kind of noble about a country that doesn’t participate in war by choice, but when we say something has been neutralized — that usually means that its power has been taken away from the outside.

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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:

neutralize neutralizes neutralized neutralizing

This occurs when reactive molecules build up faster than the body's protective systems can neutralize them, potentially damaging cells and tissues over time.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

"Airdropping personnel with parachute systems is impractical because, unfortunately, the enemy's assets can neutralize them very rapidly," said 24-year-old instructor Axel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Strategic military resources go even further with advanced sensors, directed energy, electronic warfare, and kinetic interceptors to detect, track, and neutralize unmanned threats, whether a single drone or a swarm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Another is ocean alkalinity, in which alkaline rocks are dispersed in the sea to capture carbon and neutralize it in seawater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

“We had to put stuff on it to neutralize it. But you could still smell it in the air.”

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

But building alternatives neutralizes the strait as a weapon, said Robin Mills, chief executive of Dubai-based consulting firm Qamar Energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Here, gut cells release the alkaline bicarbonate that neutralizes the stomach acid, and it is here that nutrients are absorbed.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

But this reduction of the character neutralizes the drama’s complexity.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024

The alliance neutralizes the otherwise fierce competition between American and JetBlue in Boston and New York, the government argued in the brief this month.

From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2022

"A treat for your feet. Made from all natural ingredients, it neutralizes odor-causing fungi and bacteria. Plus, you'll like the tingle."

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

What are rising mortgage rates and utility bills when you’ve been neutralized by some bioweapon engineered by a collective of scheming AI agents, recursively self-improving their way to planetary domination?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The mixtures completely neutralized the lethal effects of rattlesnake venom and also provided broad protection against venom from multiple viper species, including species separated by millions of years of evolution.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

By measuring the chemistry of rivers draining the mines, they quantified the extent of acid mine drainage and how much of the water was neutralized through mineral reactions that produce carbon dioxide.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Ayton’s backup Jaxson Hayes was also neutralized in Saturday’s blowout, not returning to the game after just eight minutes and 30 seconds of mostly ineffective play.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026

We had neutralized the worst warders and befriended the more reasonable ones, though the authorities realized this and rotated warders every few months.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Broadly neutralizing antibodies and leronlimab, meanwhile, are each being evaluated separately in clinical trials.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

A team that plays in an enclosed stadium never has to worry about a snowstorm neutralizing its passing game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The UN Security Council last year gave its approval to a new international Gang Suppression Force tasked with neutralizing the groups.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

Nonetheless, officials wanted to inject a neutralizing agent into that second tank, so that if the primary failing tank explodes, it doesn’t cause an even greater blast by igniting the second tank.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

And then, when nothing happened—as nothing would—he would apply the neutralizing compound to deactivate it so it didn’t just drip down the impervious metal and eat its way into the ground.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023