neutralize: Meaning and Definition of

neu•tral•ize

Pronunciation: (n'tru-līz", ny'-), [key]
— v., -ized, -iz•ing.
—v.t.
  1. to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
  2. to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify: carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
  3. to put out of action or make incapable of action: to neutralize an enemy position.
  4. to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war: to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
  5. to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
  6. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.
—v.i.
  1. 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.
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