1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to things classed as neither masculine nor feminine
b
: neither active nor passive : intransitive
2
: taking no side : neutral
3
: lacking or having imperfectly developed or nonfunctional generative organs
1
a
: a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the neuter gender
b
: the neuter gender
2
: one that is neutral
3
a
b
: a spayed or castrated animal
neutered; neutering; neuters
2
: to remove the force or effectiveness of (someone or something)
Democrats say those changes would effectively neuter the bureau and hand the financial industry yet another victory over the little guy.—
Michael Crowley
Michael CrowleySynonyms
Examples of neuter in a Sentence
Adjective
The pronoun “it” is neuter.
Verb
She had her dog neutered by the veterinarian.
The bill was neutered by the changes made by the legislature.
Recent Examples on the Web
Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2024
Domestically, this will mean harsher measures to silence the voices of the opposition, to neuter political competition, and to restrict access to information.
—Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2018
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Adoptions include vaccinations, microchips, spay/neuter surgeries and more.
—Madalyn Mendoza, Axios, 27 Sep. 2024
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Pumpernickel is neutered, licensed, microchipped and current on vaccinations.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuter 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
As a result, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for when to spay or neuter your dog.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2024
Domestically, this will mean harsher measures to silence the voices of the opposition, to neuter political competition, and to restrict access to information.
—Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2018
Noun
Even more crucial, the narrative’s creamy charm neuters the greater matters that the movie evokes: crises of faith.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Adoptions include vaccinations, microchips, spay/neuter surgeries and more.
—Madalyn Mendoza, Axios, 27 Sep. 2024
Verb
Behavior-modifying collars have neutered the zombie threat, and zombies have become worker-pets in most suburban homes.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Pumpernickel is neutered, licensed, microchipped and current on vaccinations.
—The Arizona Republic, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for neuter
Dictionary Entries Near neuter
Cite this Entry
“Neuter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neuter. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
neuter
1 of 3 adjective
neu·ter
ˈn(y)üt-ər 
1
: relating to or being the class of words that ordinarily includes most of those referring to things that are neither male nor female
a neuter noun
the neuter gender
2
: lacking sex organs
also
: having imperfectly developed sex organs
neuter
2 of 3 noun1
a
: a word or form of the neuter gender
b
: the neuter gender
2
neuter
3 of 3 verbMedical Definition
neuter
1 of 2 noun
neu·ter
ˈn(y)üt-ər
: a spayed or castrated animal (as a cat)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share