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neutralize

 - 4 dictionary results

neu⋅tral⋅ize

  [noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-] verb, -ized, -iz⋅ing.
Use neutralize in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
2. to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify: carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
3. Military. to put out of action or make incapable of action: to neutralize an enemy position.
4. to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war: to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
5. to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
6. Electricity. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
–verb (used without object)
7. to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization: With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.
Also, especially British, neu⋅tral⋅ise.

Origin:
1655–65; neutral + -ize

Related forms:
neu⋅tral⋅iz⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To neutralize
neu·tral·ize   (nōō'trə-līz', nyōō'-)   
tr.v.   neu·tral·ized, neu·tral·iz·ing, neu·tral·iz·es

  1. To make neutral.

  2. To counterbalance or counteract the effect of; render ineffective.

  3. To declare neutral and therefore inviolable during a war.

  4. Chemistry

    1. To make (a solution) neutral.

    2. To cause (an acid or base) to undergo neutralization.

  5. Medicine To counteract the effect of (a drug or toxin).

  6. Slang To remove as a threat, especially by killing.

neu'tral·iz'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

neutralize 
1759, "to render neutral" (in a chemical sense), from Fr. neutraliser, from neutral (see neutral). Meaning "to counterbalance, to kill by opposing" is from 1795.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: neu·tral·ize
Variant: also British neu·tral·ise /'n(y)ü-tr&-"lIz/
Function: verb
Inflected Forms:-ized also British -ised; -iz·ing also British -is·ing
transitive senses
1 : to make chemically neutral
2 a : to counteract the activity or effect of : make ineffective b : to counteract the refractive power of (a lens) by combining it with one or more otherlenses
3 : to make electrically inert by combining equal positive and negative quantities neutralize intransitive senses
: to undergo neutralization —neu·tral·iz·er also British neu·tral·is·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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