: to remove the ovaries and uterus of (a female animal)
Examples of spay in a Sentence
Our cat has been spayed.
Recent Examples on the WebAccording to its website, the nonprofit has raised more than $9 million since inception and aims to promote shelter pet adoption and spaying and neutering pets.—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024 The county contracts with an in-house vet that spays and neuters cats because the animal shelter doesn't have enough resources to provide surgeries themselves.—Jolene Almendarez, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024 All dogs are spayed and neutered, microchipped, and fully vaccinated.—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 29 Apr. 2024 About a third of the vet's time would be spent neutering or spaying community cats.—Jolene Almendarez, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for spay
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French espeer to pierce, castrate, from espee sword, from Latin spatha sword — more at spade
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