neutral zone
noun
plural neutral zones
1
American football
: a space between the two lines of scrimmage equivalent to the length of the ball that may not be encroached upon by either team until the ball is put in play
2
ice hockey
: the portion of a rink (see rink sense 1a) between the attacking and defensive zones
3
: a zone or area of shared ownership or administration
In fact, the Saudis and Kuwaitis aid the Iraqis … by selling Iraqi oil from the neutral zone, a favor that pumps more than $3 million a day into Iraqi coffers.—
Newsweek
NewsweekExamples of neutral zone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nik Bonitto offsides, lined up in neutral zone on punt, gives Chargers a first down.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
But after the Devils got one back on Matyas Melovsky’s second goal of the game, Locmelis took a bad neutral zone penalty with seconds left in the second period and, early in the third, Nathan LeCompte beat Bruin goalie Ben Hrebik to tie it at 4-4.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Johnson was flagged for a neutral zone violation, however, and the TD was waved off.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
European officials floated the idea of a neutral zone that would lie along the border between Russia and Ukraine, and Russia has responded positively to the proposal, according to Politico and the Financial Times.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
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Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
But after the Devils got one back on Matyas Melovsky’s second goal of the game, Locmelis took a bad neutral zone penalty with seconds left in the second period and, early in the third, Nathan LeCompte beat Bruin goalie Ben Hrebik to tie it at 4-4.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Johnson was flagged for a neutral zone violation, however, and the TD was waved off.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
European officials floated the idea of a neutral zone that would lie along the border between Russia and Ukraine, and Russia has responded positively to the proposal, according to Politico and the Financial Times.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for neutral zone
Cite this Entry
“Neutral zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neutral%20zone. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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