deactivate

American  

[dee-ak-tuh-veyt] / diˈæk təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

deactivated, deactivating

1. to cause to be inactive; remove the effectiveness of.

2. to demobilize or disband (a military unit).

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

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

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verb (used without object)

deactivated, deactivating

1. Physical Chemistry. to lose radioactivity.

deactivate British  

/ diːˈæktɪˌveɪt /

verb

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

2. (intr) to become less radioactive

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

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

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Other Word Forms

• deactivation noun
• deactivator noun

Etymology

Origin of deactivate

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + activate

Example Sentences

In mid-March, the University of Florida moved to deactivate the group.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Nearly 50 cities nationwide have opted to deactivate their scanners or cancel contracts with Flock, mostly in recent months, according to the website DeFlock.me, which has set out to map locations of the company’s cameras.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Earlier work from his group showed that when resveratrol and copper are combined, they generate oxygen radicals that deactivate or destroy cfChPs.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

Australia's ban - touted as a world-first - will mean Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube must take "reasonable steps" to prevent those under 16 years from creating accounts and deactivate existing ones.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

“You’re a good friend, Festus. No one can truly deactivate you. You’re more than a machine. Khione doesn’t understand that.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• disband
• shut off