deactivate

[ dee-ak-tuh-veyt ]

/ diˈæk təˌveɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR deactivate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·ac·ti·vat·ed, de·ac·ti·vat·ing.

to cause to be inactive; remove the effectiveness of.

to demobilize or disband (a military unit).

to render (a bomb, shell, or the like) inoperative, especially by disconnecting, removing, or otherwise interfering with the action of the fuze.

Chemistry. to render (a chemical, enzyme, catalyst, etc.) inactive.

verb (used without object), de·ac·ti·vat·ed, de·ac·ti·vat·ing.

Physical Chemistry. to lose radioactivity.

RELATED WORDS

disband, demilitarize

Nearby words

deacidify, deacon, deacon seat, deaconess, deaconry, deactivate, deacylase, dead, dead ahead, dead air, dead and buried

Origin of deactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + activate

Related formsde·ac·ti·va·tion, nounde·ac·ti·va·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deactivate

Conn used the manual control to set it down and deactivate it, then got out and went to examine it.
The Cosmic Computer|Henry Beam Piper
It will not be possible to deactivate it before 12.45 hours.
The Lost Kafoozalum|Pauline Ashwell

British Dictionary definitions for deactivate

deactivate

/ (diːˈæktɪˌveɪt) /

verb

(tr) to make (a bomb, etc) harmless or inoperative

(intr) to become less radioactive

(tr) US to end the active status of (a military unit)

chem to return or cause to return from an activated state to a normal or ground state

Derived Formsdeactivation, noundeactivator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deactivate

deactivate

1904, from de- + activate. Related: Deactivated; deactivating; deactivation.