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
In November, Stellantis also recalled approximately 207,000 Jeep and Dodge SUVs in the United States to address a software issue that could deactivate the anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems.
—
Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
What Is Raw Milk? Simply put, raw milk has not yet been pasteurized — a process of partial sterilization that kills or deactivates most bacteria and viruses.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Healy then apologized for the threats in a statement online and deactivated his account.
—Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2024
Healy should know by now that deleting posts, deactivating his social media accounts, and issuing apologies does very little to mend the damage of his words.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deactivate 
Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
What Is Raw Milk? Simply put, raw milk has not yet been pasteurized — a process of partial sterilization that kills or deactivates most bacteria and viruses.
—Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Healy then apologized for the threats in a statement online and deactivated his account.
—Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2024
Healy should know by now that deleting posts, deactivating his social media accounts, and issuing apologies does very little to mend the damage of his words.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
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Moments later, she was killed….This child lost his mother and father in mere seconds.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
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Teen shooter kills student, then himself at Nashville high school In: South Carolina Lucia Suarez Sang Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com.—
Lucia Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The central bank’s unexpected action is aimed at braking a recent shift by investors toward purchasing bonds while shunning riskier assets like stocks and real estate.—
Keith Bradsher,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
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The officer braked and hit her car on the driver's door area.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA TODAY,
10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The next year, a major fire ripped through Malibu, destroying hundreds of homes and later, when the El Nino storms arrived, resulted in mudslides that shut off major coastal routes for months.—
Gary Baum,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Jan. 2025
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In preparation, power was preemptively shut off to thousands of residents in the county’s mountainous backcountry, and schools in several such districts were closed Thursday for the second day in a row.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near deactivate
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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