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Definition of "spay" [spay]

  • To remove surgically the ovaries of (an animal). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "spay" in a sentence
  • "Because a spay is an intra-abdominal procedure (we have to go inside the delicate abdomen), it's more complicated."
  • "Some shelters are opting for late-term spay -- to abort the entire litter -- so they don't have to euthanize them."
  • "Since we also have a third, female cat, I looked up "spay," and it said "enlever les ovaires de," which seems a bit long."