inactivate
verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tə-ˌvāt 
inactivated; inactivating; inactivates
: to make inactive
chemicals to inactivate viruses
Examples of inactivate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This reduces the total number of microorganisms in the product and also inactivates enzymes that could contribute to spoilage.
—
Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
And though similar testing of commercial milk found H5N1 viral fragments, those particles were inactivated by pasteurization and were unable to cause infection.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 18 June 2024
At the higher temperature, the virus was inactivated in most cases after just 20 seconds.
—Alice Park, TIME, 14 June 2024
Related: Pasteurization inactivates H5N1 bird flu in milk, new FDA and academic studies confirm
These developments are of great concern to scientists like us who work on pandemic preparedness and response.
—Denis Nash, John Dennehy, Monica Trujillo, STAT, 1 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for inactivate 
Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
And though similar testing of commercial milk found H5N1 viral fragments, those particles were inactivated by pasteurization and were unable to cause infection.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 18 June 2024
At the higher temperature, the virus was inactivated in most cases after just 20 seconds.
—Alice Park, TIME, 14 June 2024
Related: Pasteurization inactivates H5N1 bird flu in milk, new FDA and academic studies confirm
These developments are of great concern to scientists like us who work on pandemic preparedness and response.
—Denis Nash, John Dennehy, Monica Trujillo, STAT, 1 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for inactivate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inactivate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Inactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inactivate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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Medical Definition
inactivate
transitive verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˈ)in-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt
inactivated; inactivating
: to make inactive: as
a
: to destroy certain biological activities of
inactivate the complement of normal serum by heat
b
: to cause (as an infectious agent) to lose disease-producing capacity
inactivate bacteria
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