deactivate

verb

de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˌ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce deactivate (audio)
deactivated; deactivating; deactivates

transitive verb

: to make inactive or ineffective
deactivate a bomb
deactivate a chemical compound
deactivation noun

Examples of deactivate in a Sentence

deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Gascón eventually deleted the posts, issued an apology then deactivated her X account. Jen Juneau, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025 Why this is important for your business: Important note: this feature is deactivated by default and requires PowerShell with administrator rights to enable. Gene Marks, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025 Social media users have also shared screenshots of them deactivating their Airbnb accounts. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025 Another worker, who had shared the resigning employee’s departure note, had his Slack account deactivated, prompting fear among the staff that he had been removed from the communications platform out of retaliation, according to internal messages seen by The Times. Ryan Mac, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deactivate

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deactivate was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deactivate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

deactivate

verb
de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce deactivate (audio)
: to make inactive or ineffective
deactivation noun

Medical Definition

deactivate

transitive verb
de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce deactivate (audio)
deactivated; deactivating
1
: to make inactive or ineffective
2
: to deprive of chemical activity
deactivate an enzyme
deactivation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deactivate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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