as in to kill
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
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Recent Examples of deactivate
While 5 million Australian accounts had been deactivated, a substantial number of Australian children continued to retain accounts, create new accounts and pass platforms' age assurance systems, the report said.
—
Rod McGuirk The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
While 5 million Australian accounts had been deactivated, a substantial number of Australian children continued to retain accounts, create new accounts and pass platforms’ age assurance systems, the report said.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit alleges that later that day, McCormick deactivated her account.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Many versions are programmed with a self-destruct timer that can deactivate them after several hours or days.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Rod McGuirk The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2026
While 5 million Australian accounts had been deactivated, a substantial number of Australian children continued to retain accounts, create new accounts and pass platforms’ age assurance systems, the report said.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit alleges that later that day, McCormick deactivated her account.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Many versions are programmed with a self-destruct timer that can deactivate them after several hours or days.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
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The day the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Several bills to increase restrictions have already been killed this legislative session, with a single measure to digitize reports still alive.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The braking system is made up of three disc brakes (one per wheel), a composite system, and Bosch ABS, all of which can be controlled via the two hand levers and a foot pedal.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Apr. 2026
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The truck began to roll backward down the hill, the MNPD said, and the worker was unable to brake and move away from Stephen Mattson, who was operating an excavator at the bottom of the hill.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved a plan to temporarily protect TSA workers in the state from having their utilities shut off or late fees charged during the partial federal government shutdown.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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It was built to prioritize home heating assistance – not cooling – and help for people in immediate danger of having life-preserving utilities shut off.—
Diana Hernández,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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