as in killing
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
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Recent Examples of deactivating
Gilbert also spoke out in support of her husband for the first time on Tuesday after deactivating her social media accounts on Sunday.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
TikTok is deactivating all accounts held by under-16 users.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex fire climbed to 159 on Wednesday, as six people were arrested on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Eventually, however, the astronaut Dave Bowman succeeds at deactivating HAL, ignoring the computer’s desperate pleas to stop.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Fowler's report was shortly followed by Jennings deactivating his Instagram page, which led some to believe that the rumors about the fifth-year wideout potentially being on the trading block may have some validity.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Sanders was dealing with a back injury, which led to the Browns deactivating him for the game.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
In February, the author returned to Instagram after deactivating her account amid the controversy.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
In addition, the lawyers asked the high court to review whether proceeding with his execution without first deactivating his implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, would defy the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
TikTok is deactivating all accounts held by under-16 users.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex fire climbed to 159 on Wednesday, as six people were arrested on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Eventually, however, the astronaut Dave Bowman succeeds at deactivating HAL, ignoring the computer’s desperate pleas to stop.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Fowler's report was shortly followed by Jennings deactivating his Instagram page, which led some to believe that the rumors about the fifth-year wideout potentially being on the trading block may have some validity.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Sanders was dealing with a back injury, which led to the Browns deactivating him for the game.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
In February, the author returned to Instagram after deactivating her account amid the controversy.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
In addition, the lawyers asked the high court to review whether proceeding with his execution without first deactivating his implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, would defy the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivating
Verb
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The latest Middle East conflict continues spiraling days after Israel and the US launched their joint operation on Iran, killing more than 1,000 people, triggering retaliatory strikes on Israel and neighboring Gulf states and plunging the region into fear and uncertainty.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Video of a barricade situation in Baltimore County is gaining attention and giving a closer look at what led to police shooting and killing a man inside his home on Wednesday night.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But then, with one lap to go and the white flag already out, his Open-car competitor Corey LaJoie spun out, and instead of braking and avoiding the carnage, Mears smashed his foot on the pedal and zoomed ahead of LaJoie before the caution came out.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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Stanton demonstrates his battery by shorting the coils, which halts the pendulum due to the magnetic field’s braking effect.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Both experts recommended sticking only to high-quality fresh or pasteurized eggs and enjoying Italian coffee in moderation.—
Eleesha Lockett,
Verywell Health,
27 Feb. 2026
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Londontown Sugarcane For those still sticking true to neutrals, step outside the Ballet Slippers box with a metallic taupe nude that offers a bit of warmth just as the spring and summer glow is getting started.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deactivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivating. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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