deactivate

[ dee-ak-tuh-veyt ]

verb (used with object)

, de·ac·ti·vat·ed, de·ac·ti·vat·ing.

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.

verb (used without object)

, de·ac·ti·vat·ed, de·ac·ti·vat·ing.

1. Physical Chemistry. to lose radioactivity.

deactivate

/ 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

Derived Forms

• deˈactiˌvator, noun
• deˌactiˈvation, noun

Other Words From

• de·acti·vation noun
• de·acti·vator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deactivate¹

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + activate

Example Sentences

A social media account once used by her mother is now defunct, and a phone number linked to her father has been deactivated.

From BBC

The Harlequins player deactivated his X account following his initial post, before reactivating it to claim he was "just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture".

From BBC

He swiftly — no pun intended — deactivated his X account and apologized in a series of Instagram stories early Thursday morning.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s possible to remotely deactivate the software that coordinates a safe charging.

From Los Angeles Times

When workers need to take time off to recover after getting injured on the job, she added, they are often penalized by the apps — such as by having their hours reduced or accounts deactivated.

From Salon

Related Words

• disband
• shut off