Meaning & use
neutralize
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To stop something from having any effect by balancing it with an opposite force or action.
Grammar: Takes an object: neutralize the threat. British spelling is neutralise.
Patterns
- neutralize something
- neutralize a threat
The new rules neutralize any advantage the larger teams had.
Good manners can neutralize an awkward moment.
The antidote neutralizes the poison before it spreads.
verbtransitivechemistry
To make an acid or a base chemically neither acidic nor alkaline by adding its opposite.
Grammar: The thing neutralized is the object: neutralize the acid with a base.
Patterns
- neutralize something with something
Baking soda neutralizes acid spilled from a car battery.
The lab technician neutralized the solution with sodium hydroxide.
verbtransitivemilitary
To stop an enemy, target or opponent from being able to act, often by capturing or disabling it.
Grammar: Used in military, security and sports contexts.
Patterns
- neutralize a target
- neutralize a player
Specialists neutralized the bomb without anyone being hurt.
The defender neutralized the striker for most of the game.
Word forms
| third person singular | neutralizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | neutralized |
| past participle | neutralized |
| -ing form | neutralizing |
Common combinations
- neutralize a threat
- Guards moved quickly to neutralize the threat.
- neutralize an acid
- Antacids neutralize stomach acid.
- neutralize the effect
- Cold water can neutralize the effect of the heat.
- neutralize an advantage
- Their late goal neutralized the visitors' advantage.
- neutralize a smell
- Charcoal helps neutralize a smell in the fridge.
- effectively neutralize
- The agreement effectively neutralized the dispute.
Synonyms and how they differ
- counteract
- Counteract means to act against an effect to reduce it, while neutralize suggests removing it completely.
- cancel out
- Cancel out is more informal and fits two things that equal each other, as in costs and benefits.
- disable
- Disable means to stop a machine or device from working, while neutralize is wider and also fits chemicals and threats.
- offset
- Offset means to balance a loss with a gain without necessarily removing the first thing.
Opposites
Word family
- neutralization noun
- the act of making something neutral or ineffective
- neutralizer noun
- a substance or thing that neutralizes
- neutral adjective
- not taking a side, or neither acid nor base
- neutrality noun
- the state of not taking sides
- neutrally adverb
- in a way that takes no side
Commonly confused: neutralize or eliminate?
neutralize vs eliminate
To neutralize is to remove the effect or danger of something, while to eliminate is to get rid of the thing itself.
Practice
A teaspoon of baking soda can ___ the acid in a small spill.
Choose one answer.
Baking soda is a base, so it neutralizes acid by chemically balancing it. Intensify would make it stronger, and the other verbs do not describe the chemistry.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neutralize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.