as in to undermine
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality
by the time of the fourth rewrite, the screenplay had pretty much been gelded of all originality
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Recent Examples of geld
Gegen and his 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding One Question raced through the course in 44.686 seconds for the win.
—
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
Because Moscow retains a close partner in this effort to geld Ukraine—a vassal state that presents the model for what Putin would like to accomplish in Ukraine: Belarus.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Yet on May 8, 1920 — 100 years ago Friday — Man o’ War was conspicuously absent from Churchill Downs, neither entered nor even nominated for the 46th Derby won by the gelding Paul Jones.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for geld
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2025
An Oldenburg gelding in the horse barn, which is paved with rubber tiles; another stall contains a 1900s French armchair, a 19th-century table, and bird prints.
—Anita Sarsidi, ELLE Decor, 1 June 2023
Because Moscow retains a close partner in this effort to geld Ukraine—a vassal state that presents the model for what Putin would like to accomplish in Ukraine: Belarus.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 1 Mar. 2022
Yet on May 8, 1920 — 100 years ago Friday — Man o’ War was conspicuously absent from Churchill Downs, neither entered nor even nominated for the 46th Derby won by the gelding Paul Jones.
—Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 7 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for geld
Recent Examples of Synonyms for geld
Verb
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Kent’s departure quickly became a flashpoint inside conservative media, with some praising him for taking a stand and others accusing him of undermining the administration during wartime.—
Steve Mollman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Time for Warren Buffett to get the owners in the Casa Grande ballroom and run a cost-benefit analysis on the value of undermining the league’s integrity in a sport in bed with gambling against the price of paying officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Justin Bieber has had multiple stalkers, including a New Mexico man and his nephew who plotted to murder and castrate the pop singer in 2013.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
15 Mar. 2026
-
After his conviction, Turing was chemically castrated.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the president contends there is no excuse for the lack of participation now that Iran's navy has been sunk and its air defenses severely weakened.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some fruit trees might prefer wet weather and moist earth, but others will perform best with well-draining, sandy soil.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
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That includes details that criminals can use to drain accounts, open loans, or impersonate you.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The idea that forms of artistic expression can exhaust themselves is nothing new.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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In 2018, pregnant with her third child, Kate Ames was exhausted.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cops are searching for multiple suspects wearing ski masks last seen fleeing the scene on foot.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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He was last seen wearing a denim shirt and jeans.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The filmmaker leans pop-comic rather than petrifying in his final draft, opting for earnestness that smothers atmospheric dread.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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The former slingshots between harmony and hysteria; the latter petrifies its beauty under a haze of ashy gray powder.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
28 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Geld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/geld. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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