3 ADJ In some languages, a neuter noun, pronoun, or adjective has a different form from a masculine or feminine one, or behaves in a different way.
neu|tral /njuː trəl, [AM ] nuː t-/ (neutrals )
1 ADJ If a person or country adopts a neutral position or remains neutral , they do not support anyone in a disagreement, war, or contest. □ Let's meet on neutral territory. □ [+ in ] Those who had tried to remain neutral now found themselves required to take sides. ● N‑COUNT A neutral is someone who is neutral. □ It was a good game to watch for the neutrals. ● neu|tral|ity /njuːtræ l I ti, [AM ] nuː t-/ N‑UNCOUNT □ …a reputation for political neutrality and impartiality.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone speaks in a neutral voice or if the expression on their face is neutral , they do not show what they are thinking or feeling. □ Isabel put her magazine down and said in a neutral voice, 'You're very late, darling.' □ He told her about the death, describing the events in as neutral a manner as he could. ● neu|tral|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] I noticed, behind the neutrality of his gaze, a deep weariness.
3 ADJ If you say that something is neutral , you mean that it does not have any effect on other things because it lacks any significant qualities of its own, or it is an equal balance of two or more different qualities, amounts, or ideas. □ Three in every five interviewed felt that the Budget was neutral and they would be no better off.
4 N‑UNCOUNT [oft into/in N ] Neutral is the position between the gears of a vehicle such as a car, in which the gears are not connected to the engine. □ Graham put the van in neutral and jumped out into the road.
5 ADJ In an electrical device or system, the neutral wire is one of the three wires needed to complete the circuit so that the current can flow. The other two wires are called the earth wire and the live or positive wire.
6 COLOUR Neutral is used to describe things that have a pale colour such as cream or grey, or that have no colour at all. □ At the horizon the land mass becomes a continuous pale neutral grey.
7 ADJ In chemistry, neutral is used to describe things that are neither acid nor alkaline. □ Pure water is neutral with a pH of 7.
neu|tral|ize /njuː trəla I z, [AM ] nuː t-/ (neutralizes , neutralizing , neutralized ) in BRIT, also use neutralise 1 VERB To neutralize something means to prevent it from having any effect or from working properly. □ [V n] The U.S. is trying to neutralize the resolution in the U.N. Security Council. □ [V n] The intruder smashed a window to get in and then neutralized the alarm system. ● neu|trali|za|tion /njuː trəla I ze I ʃ ə n, [AM ] nuː t-/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the sale or neutralization of the suspected nuclear site.
2 VERB When a chemical substance neutralizes an acid, it makes it less acid. □ [V n] Antacids relieve pain by neutralizing acid in the stomach.
neu|tron /njuː trɒn, [AM ] nuː t-/ (neutrons ) N‑COUNT A neutron is an atomic particle that has no electrical charge. □ Each atomic cluster is made up of neutrons and protons.
neu |tron bomb (neutron bombs ) N‑COUNT A neutron bomb is a nuclear weapon that is designed to kill people and animals without a large explosion and without destroying buildings or causing serious radioactive pollution.
neu |tron sta r (neutron stars ) N‑COUNT A neutron star is a star that has collapsed under the weight of its own gravity.
nev|er ◆◆◆ /ne və r /
1 ADV [ADV before v] Never means at no time in the past or at no time in the future. □ I have never lost the weight I put on in my teens. □ Never had he been so free of worry. □ That was a mistake. We'll never do it again. □ Never say that. Never, do you hear? □ He was never really healthy. □ This is never to happen again.
2 ADV [ADV before v] Never means 'not in any circumstances at all'. □ I would never do anything to hurt him. □ Even if you are desperate to get married, never let it show. □ Divorce is never easy for children. □ The golden rule is never to clean a valuable coin.
3 PHRASE Never ever is an emphatic way of saying 'never'. [EMPHASIS ] □ I never, ever sit around thinking, 'What shall I do next?' □ He's vowed never ever to talk about anything personal in public, ever again.
4 ADV Never is used to refer to the past and means 'not'. □ He never achieved anything. □ He waited until all the luggage was cleared, but Paula's never appeared. □ I never knew the lad. □ I'd never have dreamt of doing such a thing.
5 EXCLAM You say ' never! ' to indicate how surprised or shocked you are by something that someone has just said. [SPOKEN , FEELINGS ]
6 EXCLAM You say ' Well, I never ' to indicate that you are very surprised about something that you have just seen or found out. [OLD-FASHIONED , SPOKEN , FEELINGS ] □ 'What were you up to there?'—'I was head of the information department.'—'Well I never!'
7 PHRASE If you say that something will never do or would never do , you are saying, often humorously, that you think it is not appropriate or not suitable in some way. □ It would never do to have Henry there in her apartment. □ I don't think it is an example of bad writing myself, otherwise I'd be agreeing with Leavis, and that would never do.
8 never mind → see mind ➋ USAGE never
Don’t use ‘do’ in front of never
. Don’t say, for example, ‘