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
Curry, the younger brother of Steph Curry, has spent the last few weeks at the team's facility working out, but had been deactivated for preseason games.
—
Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
The Kansas Young Republicans organization was deactivated on Tuesday following an investigation by Politico into a trove of racist and derogatory messages exchanged in a group chat between young GOP members in four states.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Don’t use it during the day, since the sunlight can deactivate the active ingredient, and always pair its use with a moisturizer in order to offset any drying effects, adds Isaacs.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2025
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
The Kansas Young Republicans organization was deactivated on Tuesday following an investigation by Politico into a trove of racist and derogatory messages exchanged in a group chat between young GOP members in four states.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Don’t use it during the day, since the sunlight can deactivate the active ingredient, and always pair its use with a moisturizer in order to offset any drying effects, adds Isaacs.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2025
Once stationary, deactivate all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deactivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivate
Verb
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However, the demon baby then proceeded to brutally rip apart and kill Teddy, Phil, and Susie, leaving only Lilly and Ronnie alive before the credits rolled.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
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Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and laid waste to swaths of territory.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Nampa woman, Alyssa VanPaepeghem, braked, but the cars still crashed.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
22 Oct. 2025
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Buses are larger, less capable of swerving, and take longer to brake, but bus drivers are also far more likely to drive cautiously and avoid speeding, said Toronto.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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At one point, customers heard a rumor that SDG&E was shutting off electricity to the building — an alarming development that would have left the business’s freezers without power.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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