deactivate
verb
de·ac·ti·vate
(ˌ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 
deactivated; deactivating; deactivates
: to make inactive or ineffective
deactivate a bomb
deactivate a chemical compound
Examples of deactivate in a Sentence
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Recent Examples on the Web
The state in court documents said a third-party provider would be willing to deactivate the device on Aug. 4 at Nashville General Hospital, as technicians would not come to the prison to perform the procedure.
—
Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 30 July 2025
If users are determined to be under 18, personalized ads will be deactivated, well-being tools will be activated, and repetitive viewing will be limited for some kinds of content, the company said.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
By early that Sunday, the cards had been deactivated and the scam had been halted, the youth department said.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 July 2025
The outlet previously reported that Zecca — whose social media appears to have been deactivated — works with his stepdad’s bounty hunting enterprise.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
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Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 30 July 2025
If users are determined to be under 18, personalized ads will be deactivated, well-being tools will be activated, and repetitive viewing will be limited for some kinds of content, the company said.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
By early that Sunday, the cards had been deactivated and the scam had been halted, the youth department said.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 July 2025
The outlet previously reported that Zecca — whose social media appears to have been deactivated — works with his stepdad’s bounty hunting enterprise.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deactivate. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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Medical Definition
deactivate
transitive verb
de·ac·ti·vate
(ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt
deactivated; deactivating
1
: to make inactive or ineffective
2
: to deprive of chemical activity
deactivate an enzyme
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