deactivate

verb

de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˌ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 

deactivated; deactivating; deactivates

transitive verb

: to make inactive or ineffective

deactivate a bomb

deactivate a chemical compound

deactivation

(ˌ)dē-ˌak-tə-ˈvā-shən 

noun

deactivator

(ˌ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• kill
• shut off
• turn off

Examples of deactivate in a Sentence

deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock

Recent Examples on the Web

Per multiple outlets, including InStyle and Cosmopolitan, her husband Justin Bieber's Instagram account got deactivated (then reactivated) after going live on the app, and in the wake of that, Hailey appeared to unfollow the singer from her own profile. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025

Hoover spoke out in support of Blake at the end of last year, but then deactivated her Instagram in January and returned with photos of the cast of the film scrubbed from her account. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025

Plaza has deactivated her Instagram page following Baena's death. —Janelle Ash, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2025

Instead, SpaceX's email indicates its marketing the plan to customers who’ve deactivated their Starlink service, which can cost $120 per month through a standard residential plan. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deactivate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

deactivate

verb

de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 

: to make inactive or ineffective

deactivation

(ˌ)dē-ˌak-tə-ˈvā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

deactivate

transitive verb

de·​ac·​ti·​vate (ˈ)dē-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt 

deactivated; deactivating

1

: to make inactive or ineffective

2

: to deprive of chemical activity

deactivate an enzyme

deactivation

-ˌak-tə-ˈvā-shən 

noun