deactivate
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.
Physical Chemistry. to lose radioactivity.
Origin of deactivate
1Other words from deactivate
- de·ac·ti·va·tion, noun
- de·ac·ti·va·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for deactivate
/ (diːˈæktɪˌveɪt) /
(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, noun
- deactivator, 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
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