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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Vocabulary lists containing neutralize

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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

The Su‑35, he noted, is equipped for both air‑to‑air and air‑to‑ground combat, with the ability to detect and neutralize incoming cruise missiles at distances of up to 200 kilometers.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

The researchers discovered that approximately 3.5% of patients with IBD had elevated levels of antibodies that neutralize IL-10.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

The team set a moonshot goal: developing a single, universal protein “minibinder” that could neutralize five dominant scorpion neurotoxins across different species.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Antibodies are a class of proteins that help neutralize a virus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 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

That it’s a woman who ultimately neutralizes Homelander shielding is a kind of poetic justice.

From Salon ● May 24, 2026

To better care for delicate marine artifacts, researchers in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering developed a new hydrogel that quickly neutralizes harmful acids and stabilized waterlogged wood from an 800-year-old shipwreck.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024

"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

Tomahawk missile that the unit said it had neutralized, according to the social-media account of the guard’s ground forces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 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

Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias 'Nino Guerrero,' was "neutralized" in southeastern Bolivar state, Venezuela's Ministry of Communications said in a statement Friday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

Likewise, Epstein saw #MeToo as a problem to be neutralized because the success of any social movement in which women were treated as reliable narrators of their own exploitation would impede his own racket.”

From Salon ● May 23, 2026

Although mangolomera never weakens, it can be neutralized for short periods of time using the green vines from a sweet potato plant.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

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

But that valve is clogged up, and so there is no way to get the neutralizing agent inside the 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

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