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
Uber also penalizes its drivers who cancel trips and can deactivate their accounts if cancellation frequency reaches a predetermined threshold, the complaint states.
—
Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The account that had impersonated him, after blowing up on @joma_gc, deactivated and removed all of its information from the page.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The reposts were taken down, and Harvey's Instagram account has since been deactivated.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The account that had impersonated him, after blowing up on @joma_gc, deactivated and removed all of its information from the page.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The reposts were taken down, and Harvey's Instagram account has since been deactivated.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
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Tom is torn between loyalty to his dead wife and love for the estranged son who killed her.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
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How many people did Ed Gein kill in real life?—
JR Radcliffe,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His muscles will be worn to the fiber, asked to consistently chase and brake and crowd some of the league’s best perimeter players.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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According to reports, police alleged Lacy crossed a center line in an attempt to pass slower vehicles, which caused a pickup truck driver to brake and swerve to avoid Lacy’s car.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Taliban shuts off Afghanistan internet nationwide Afghanistan imposed a nationwide internet blackout, the latest sign of the Taliban government’s increasingly severe rule.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Rosenzweig soon learned his phone was shut off because Bondi fired him.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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