as in killed
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unusable
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deactivated
John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Sep. 2025
Due to the online backlash, Ramsey deactivated their social media accounts.
—Katherine Schaffstall, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
On 57 occasions, the lane keeping or adaptive cruise control deactivated, and there were 43 instances of a test car failing to adequately slow down, of which 70 percent required the driver to hit the brakes.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
As part of this switch, a live power cable running underneath the area was deactivated.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
That case was deactivated because of conflicting statements from witnesses and a lack of video evidence from CCTV cameras in the area.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
In September 2024, the artist issued an apology and deactivated his account after drawing a controversial comparison between Swift and Ye (formerly Kanye West).
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 10 Aug. 2025
For weeks leading up to the execution, Black’s attorneys fought to have his implantable cardioverter defibrillator — a medical device meant to shock the heart when its rhythm becomes irregular — deactivated, per The Washington Post.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
At issue is also the timing of when his device would be deactivated — his health could be at risk if it were done too soon and his execution was put on hold at the last minute.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
His personal page has been deactivated before as well.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Sep. 2025
Due to the online backlash, Ramsey deactivated their social media accounts.
—Katherine Schaffstall, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
On 57 occasions, the lane keeping or adaptive cruise control deactivated, and there were 43 instances of a test car failing to adequately slow down, of which 70 percent required the driver to hit the brakes.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
As part of this switch, a live power cable running underneath the area was deactivated.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
That case was deactivated because of conflicting statements from witnesses and a lack of video evidence from CCTV cameras in the area.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
In September 2024, the artist issued an apology and deactivated his account after drawing a controversial comparison between Swift and Ye (formerly Kanye West).
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 10 Aug. 2025
For weeks leading up to the execution, Black’s attorneys fought to have his implantable cardioverter defibrillator — a medical device meant to shock the heart when its rhythm becomes irregular — deactivated, per The Washington Post.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
At issue is also the timing of when his device would be deactivated — his health could be at risk if it were done too soon and his execution was put on hold at the last minute.
—Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivated
Verb
-
Evergreen High School is located about 20 miles from Columbine High School, the site of an infamous 1999 mass shooting that killed 12 students and a teacher.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Conservative commentator Will Cain observed a moment of silence on his Fox News show after a gunman shot and killed Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The website is almost unusable.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The process requires hundreds of delicate manual steps, and any contamination renders a dose unusable.—
Jennifer Kite-Powell,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
If the plaque weakens and breaks apart, large clumps are released into the blood stream, and a large clump can block an artery, completely shutting off blood flow and causing a heart attack.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Auto start-stop is a vehicle feature that shuts off the engine when a vehicle is stopped to conserve fuel.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Never mind that large language models have so far proven useless at 95% of the companies that have made their workforces try to use them, researchers from MIT recently found.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The microwave filter is crucial for protecting your microwave's internal parts from gunk getting stuck or the fans from overheating.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
-
With anxiety, you’re stuck in hypothetical scenarios.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The American Psychological Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other medical associations have issued statements calling the practice harmful and ineffective at altering someone’s identity.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Companies are forced to place massive bets on drug targets that ultimately prove ineffective or unsafe.—
Miguel Llorca,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Delegates had been seeking a breakthrough in the deadlocked United Nations talks in Geneva, but states pushing for an ambitious treaty said that the latest text released in the early hours of Friday failed to meet their expectations.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet that path now looks unworkable.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But their aims largely run counter to one another: One bill is accused of doing too much and implementing unworkable rules.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deactivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivated. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share