neuter

1 of 3

adjective

neu·​ter ˈnü-tər 

ˈnyü-

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

neuter

2 of 3

noun

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

: worker sense 2

b

: a spayed or castrated animal

neuter

3 of 3

verb

neutered; neutering; neuters

transitive verb

1

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter

a neutered cat

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

Synonyms

Verb

• alter
• fix

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

Adjective

Dozens of dogs and cats have died after routine spay-neuter surgery. —Michael Wagner, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

The animal shelter also set up vet appointments for the pups to receive vaccinations and spay and neuter appointments, which are done at the rescue facility at no cost to the foster. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

Noun

The 10-year project will add a new education pavilion, equine hospital, cancer center, spay-neuter clinic, raptor center and a primary care hospital — facilities that will allow the school to expand its class size from 600 to 800 students, UC Davis officials said. —Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2025

Contrast this to the Santa Clara County’s shelter, which earlier this year attracted two full-time veterinarians to help support a low-cost public spay-neuter program. —Michael Wagner, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

Verb

Rather than paying a recurring license fee, pets that are microchipped, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated for rabies would be eligible to be permanently licensed for a one-time $25 fee. —Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Sep. 2025

In Campbell County, data from the county's own animal services shows that by 2022, 440 cats were returned to the field (after being spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and ear-tipped), which represented about 78 percent of all cat intakes that year. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English neutre, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French neutre, from Latin neuter, literally, neither, from ne- not + uter which of two — more at no, whether entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for neuter

• pewter
• router
• scooter
• shooter
• suitor
• tutor
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• microcomputer
• minicomputer

Kids 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 noun

1

a

: a word or form of the neuter gender

b

: the neuter gender

2

: worker sense 2

neuter

3 of 3 verb

: castrate, alter sense 2

Medical Definition

neuter

1 of 2 noun

neu·​ter ˈn(y)üt-ər 

: a spayed or castrated animal (as a cat)

neuter

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter