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
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
Lawsuits pointed out that OpenAI’s help center teaches banned users how to skirt the safeguards, and customer support also sends an email with the same instructions when accounts are deactivated.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
Dach deactivated his Instagram account after receiving online criticism because his defensive lapse led to the winning goal in overtime in Game 2.
—ABC News, 29 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
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Lawsuits pointed out that OpenAI’s help center teaches banned users how to skirt the safeguards, and customer support also sends an email with the same instructions when accounts are deactivated.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
Dach deactivated his Instagram account after receiving online criticism because his defensive lapse led to the winning goal in overtime in Game 2.
—ABC News, 29 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
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
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Also etched in the base of the memorial are the names of the many Chicago firefighters killed in the line of duty.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
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Jason Ulseth, the Riverkeeper’s executive director, estimated there are thousands of dead fish in the river and called it the worst fish kill he’s seen in his 20 years with the organization.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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This is motorized like the rear seats, and supports pulling 750kg unbraked or a generous 2,400kg braked.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Just over a minute later, Dabney’s SUV was seen on video going under the bridge, then braking.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Once Duquense Light shut off the power to the home, firefighters and rescue paramedics brought the injured worker down from the roof.—
Jennifer Borrasso,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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Another sore point has been that the $5 Standby Mode now costs $10 per month, even though many Starlink users have been using it as a low-cost option to keep their portable Starlink Mini dishes online rather than completely shut off access.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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