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

: castrate, alter

2

: to remove the force or effectiveness of

Synonyms

Verb

• alter
• desex
• 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

Local governments will now be required to house stray dogs in shelters and neuter, spay, and vaccinate them so that they can be adopted, The Independent reported. —Anna Gordon, TIME, 30 July 2024

In all three cities, the cats are often taken from the streets, due to a lack of neuter and spay programs, Zweigart said. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024

Noun

Routine veterinary checkups can cost several hundreds of dollars and a spay or neuter can cost between $300 and $500, according to DeGenova. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2024

The spokesperson said that the organization has available resources, such as free pet food pantry, low-cost or grant-funded vet care, vaccines, and spay/neuter, rehoming consultation, to avoid such outcomes and encouraged pet owners to seek them out. —Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024

Verb

On Monday, the council introduced a proposal that would create a registry for dogs who aren’t spayed or neutered as the first step in legislating this issue. —Nadia Scharf, The Indianapolis Star, 9 July 2024

Jax is neutered, up-to-date with his vet visits, and located in Middlesex County, CT. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2024

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

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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