neutralize: Meaning and Definition of
neu•tral•ize
Pronunciation: (n'tru-līz", ny'-), [key] — v., -ized, -iz•ing.
—v.t. - to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
- to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify: carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
- to put out of action or make incapable of action: to neutralize an enemy position.
- to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war: to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
- to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
- to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
—v.i. - to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization: With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.