deactivate

[ dee-ak-tuh-veyt ]
/ diˈæk təˌveɪt /
SEE 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.

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Origin of deactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + activate

OTHER WORDS FROM deactivate

de·ac·ti·va·tion, nounde·ac·ti·va·tor, noun

Words nearby deactivate

deacidify, deacon, deacon seat, deaconess, deaconry, deactivate, deacylase, dead, dead ahead, dead air, dead and buried
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to deactivate

disband, demilitarize

Example sentences 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 forms of deactivate

deactivation, 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