What did American neutrality mean before World War I entry?

How neutral was the United States before entering the First World War?

Neutral in formal belligerent status, but not economically detached: American firms supplied arms, and after entry the United States also bought equipment from Britain and France.

Legal belligerence and economic participation were different questions. Before entering the First World War, the United States supplied weapons and other material rather than remaining commercially detached. Once America joined, shortages also led it to buy equipment from Britain and France. 'Neutral' is therefore an incomplete description of wartime logistics and alliance dependence.