as in to kill
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deactivate
The registration needs to be completed in 25 days, or the Starlink service will be deactivated, the pop-up says.
—
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
When placed in front of him, the child either cowers backward in fear and sighs with relief when it's turned off or uses the Force to deactivate it.
—Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
After a debate that reportedly involved about a dozen staffers, OpenAI leaders chose to say nothing, and moved instead to deactivate Van Rootselaar’s account.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
An OpenAI spokesperson disputed that allegation, noting that the email the company sends to users who have been deactivated does not include information about creating a new account.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
When placed in front of him, the child either cowers backward in fear and sighs with relief when it's turned off or uses the Force to deactivate it.
—Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
After a debate that reportedly involved about a dozen staffers, OpenAI leaders chose to say nothing, and moved instead to deactivate Van Rootselaar’s account.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Apr. 2026
An OpenAI spokesperson disputed that allegation, noting that the email the company sends to users who have been deactivated does not include information about creating a new account.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
-
In recent months security forces have killed a string of top Maoists and the rank-and-file are laying down their weapons.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
At the same time that the GKN situation was unraveling, the rupture of a chemical tank containing a different chemical mixture killed 11 people at a paper mill in Washington state.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
According to the preliminary investigation, the Lexus was traveling at a high rate of speed and did not appear to brake prior to the impact, police said.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
-
The driver seemingly spots the student and attempts to brake, skidding into the grass to the right of the bus and striking Abby.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Whelton said that officials generally recommend that people shut off their air conditioning units to avoid drawing in outside contamination during these kinds of chemical incidents.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
-
Which means their smartphone usage is truncated during the school day, during homework hours, and then it can be shut off altogether at night so that parents can sleep knowing their kids aren’t awake scrolling their smartphones.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
