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inactivate
verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tə-ˌvāt
inactivated; inactivating; inactivates
: to make inactive
chemicals to inactivate viruses
Examples of inactivate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Related: Pasteurization inactivates H5N1 bird flu in milk, new FDA and academic studies confirm
These developments are of great concern to scientists like us who work on pandemic preparedness and response.
—Denis Nash, John Dennehy, Monica Trujillo, STAT, 1 May 2024
Pasteurization has been shown to effectively inactivate H5N1 in eggs, and that process occurs at a lower temperature than is used for milk.
—Todd Cornish, The Conversation, 25 Apr. 2024
Pasteurization, the brief heating of milk, can kill or inactivate microbes..
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 25 May 2024
Additionally, milk samples have been found with remnants of the virus, but testing determined pasteurization inactivated the virus.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 24 May 2024
Research so far has shown that virus particles end up in the milk of infected cows but that pasteurization will inactivate the virus.
—Kerry E. Kaylegian, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2024
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that milk and other dairy products from cows are safe to consume, since the pasteurization process seems to inactivate the virus.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2024
Those samples showed the virus had been inactivated by pasteurization, reducing the health threat to people.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Testing has shown that pasteurization is effective in inactivating the bird flu virus.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 7 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inactivate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1906, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near inactivate
Cite this Entry
“Inactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inactivate. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
inactivate
transitive verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˈ)in-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt
inactivated; inactivating
: to make inactive: as
a
: to destroy certain biological activities of
inactivate the complement of normal serum by heat
b
: to cause (as an infectious agent) to lose disease-producing capacity
inactivate bacteria
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