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
- neutralization noun
- neutralizer noun
- overneutralize verb (used with object)
- overneutralizer noun
- reneutralize verb
- unneutralize verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of neutralize
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.
The researchers ran a series of experiments to determine whether and when reappropriation—or the act of claiming or taking back a negative label—might help brands neutralize negative feedback and win over consumers.
The price-comparison website is proactively neutralizing AI-disruption risks through the strategic launch of its ChatGPT app, showing not only technical ability but also a strategic hedge, the analysts say in a note.
Increasing merger activity should also be expected as incumbents seek to neutralize emerging competitors.
From Barron's
That left a net increase of 36 million newly issued shares, meaning that 90% of the total 40 million shares that Meta repurchased were needed just to neutralize the dilution from the employee stock awards.
Second, a Warsh Fed would need to neutralize swings in the government’s checking account at the Fed.
From Barron's
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.
