deactivate
verb
de·ac·ti·vate
(ˌ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 
deactivated; deactivating; deactivates
: to make inactive or ineffective
deactivate a bomb
deactivate a chemical compound
Examples of deactivate in a Sentence
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Recent Examples on the Web
There were a handful of readers who deactivated their Facebook accounts (one dating back to 2008) once Zuckerberg announced the updates.
—
Makena Kelly, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
This will deactivate all AI functionalities, though the models will still occupy device storage.
—Thomas Westerholm, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
The first might’ve been the decision to deactivate powerful rookie back Audric Estime, in cold weather, before the game in favor of 5-foot-8 Tyler Badie.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2025
As firefighters battled the blaze, AES Indiana had to deactivate power to the area, leaving approximately 170 customers without power for a few hours.
—Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deactivate 
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.
Makena Kelly, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
This will deactivate all AI functionalities, though the models will still occupy device storage.
—Thomas Westerholm, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
The first might’ve been the decision to deactivate powerful rookie back Audric Estime, in cold weather, before the game in favor of 5-foot-8 Tyler Badie.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2025
As firefighters battled the blaze, AES Indiana had to deactivate power to the area, leaving approximately 170 customers without power for a few hours.
—Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deactivate
Dictionary Entries Near deactivate
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deactivate. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
deactivate
transitive verb
de·ac·ti·vate
(ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt
deactivated; deactivating
1
: to make inactive or ineffective
2
: to deprive of chemical activity
deactivate an enzyme
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share