neutralize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
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to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify.
carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
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Military. to put out of action or make incapable of action.
to neutralize an enemy position.
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to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war.
to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
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to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
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Electricity. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(also intr) to render or become ineffective or neutral by counteracting, mixing, etc; nullify
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(also intr) to make or become electrically or chemically neutral
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to exclude (a country) from the sphere of warfare or alliances by international agreement
the great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century
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to render (an army) incapable of further military action
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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neutralizationnoun
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neutralizernoun
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overneutralizernoun
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reneutralizeverb
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overneutralizeverb (used with object)
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unneutralizeverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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neutralizesimple
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neutralizessimple
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have neutralizedperfect
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has neutralizedperfect
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am neutralizingprogressive
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are neutralizingprogressive
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is neutralizingprogressive
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have been neutralizingperfect progressive
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has been neutralizingperfect progressive
Past
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neutralizedsimple
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had neutralizedperfect
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was neutralizingprogressive
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were neutralizingprogressive
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had been neutralizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of neutralize
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.
Vocabulary lists containing neutralize
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Code Talker
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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:
The team is now testing whether a fast-dissolving mineral called olivine could be used to neutralize the acidic runoff without releasing carbon, potentially cutting emissions drastically.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Among all the varieties tested, kombuchas prepared from green tea and oolong tea demonstrated the strongest antioxidant activity and the greatest capacity to neutralize free radicals.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
On-screen footage shows UFC fighter Michael Chandler explaining to an FBI agent how to neutralize an armed assailant with hand-to-hand combat.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
A little-known investing formula shows exactly how long to hold bonds to neutralize interest-rate hikes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
In the crucial years, the fact that the Party was not a hereditary body did a great deal to neutralize opposition.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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
Rehydrating the body using alkaline salt neutralizes the acid from alcohol and dehydration; however, this product would benefit from a better balance of all electrolytes, not just high amounts of sodium.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024
A class of bNAbs called 10E8 is a priority for HIV vaccine development because it neutralizes a particularly broad range of HIV variants.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 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
As the World Cup hits the halfway mark, more than 1,000 drones have been detected near stadiums and over 300 of them neutralized by authorities, the White House's tournament czar said Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The Health Care Agency also said that the planned move of neutralized MMA from GKN Aerospace’s storage tanks didn’t happen on Thursday and Friday, and will be rescheduled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
But here’s the jujitsu move: McElroy then neutralized O’Connor’s order to enforce the subpoena by nullifying the subpoena itself, because the DOJ had failed to identify any possible law-breaking by the hospital.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
“Euphemistic speech is the highest form of thinking, human intelligence, an elegant, ‘veiled,’ neutralized, softened figurative expression of reality,” Xilola Inomovna Ismailova, an English teacher at Kokand State University, wrote last year.
From Salon ● May 8, 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
For Sinner, he added: “His serve can be a neutralizing force for what Novak is going to try to do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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
"By identifying an internal brake that had until now gone unrecognized and by developing antibodies capable of neutralizing it, our researchers are offering an innovative solution to the limitations of current treatments," he said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 9, 2026
To the Knicks, neutralizing Wembanyama comes down to one thing: not caring which of their shooters ends up with the ball in his hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
He saw that they must be offset by some type of neutralizing particles, which he called neutrons.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
