spay

¹ American

[spey] / speɪ /

verb (used with object)

Veterinary Medicine.

to remove the ovaries of (an animal).

spay ² American

[spey] / speɪ /

noun

a three-year-old male red deer.

spay British

/ speɪ /

verb

(tr) to remove the ovaries, and usually the uterus, from (a female animal)

"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

Other Word Forms

unspayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of spay¹

1375–1425; late Middle English spayen < Anglo-French espeïer to cut with a sword ( Old French espeer ), derivative of espee sword; see épée

Origin of spay²

1375–1425; late Middle English < ?

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.

To help control the population, the city launched the Citywide Cat Program in 2022, which provides funding to help organizations humanely catch cats, spay or neuter them, and release them back into the wild.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

His legislation would also provide free vaccinations and spay or neuter services to the felines.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

An empty bag of fresh frozen plasma hung from her metal crate door — a lifeline she would need during a routine spay procedure due to a blood clotting disorder.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024

A dog spay is on average about £300.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2024

To spade a garden is to dig it up; to spay a cat is to keep her from having kittens.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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