as in killing
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
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Recent Examples of deactivating
According to the complaint, the university did not provide advance notice, a hearing or evidence that the group violated campus policies governing student organizations before deactivating the College Republicans.
—
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Unlike some competing models that allow for toggle functionality—activating IS with one press and deactivating it with another—this model requires continuous pressure on the button to maintain stabilization.
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The motivation is clear after a down year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a championship team that gave him a $17 million contract and almost 500 plate appearances before deactivating him throughout the postseason.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Gilbert also spoke out in support of her husband for the first time on Tuesday after deactivating her social media accounts on Sunday.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
TikTok is deactivating all accounts held by under-16 users.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex fire climbed to 159 on Wednesday, as six people were arrested on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Eventually, however, the astronaut Dave Bowman succeeds at deactivating HAL, ignoring the computer’s desperate pleas to stop.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Fowler's report was shortly followed by Jennings deactivating his Instagram page, which led some to believe that the rumors about the fifth-year wideout potentially being on the trading block may have some validity.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Unlike some competing models that allow for toggle functionality—activating IS with one press and deactivating it with another—this model requires continuous pressure on the button to maintain stabilization.
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The motivation is clear after a down year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a championship team that gave him a $17 million contract and almost 500 plate appearances before deactivating him throughout the postseason.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Gilbert also spoke out in support of her husband for the first time on Tuesday after deactivating her social media accounts on Sunday.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
TikTok is deactivating all accounts held by under-16 users.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The death toll in Hong Kong's apartment complex fire climbed to 159 on Wednesday, as six people were arrested on suspicion of deactivating some fire alarms during maintenance work at the housing complex, authorities said.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
Eventually, however, the astronaut Dave Bowman succeeds at deactivating HAL, ignoring the computer’s desperate pleas to stop.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Fowler's report was shortly followed by Jennings deactivating his Instagram page, which led some to believe that the rumors about the fifth-year wideout potentially being on the trading block may have some validity.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivating
Verb
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On Saturday, Moscow pummeled the central city of Dnipro and other areas for more than twenty hours with barrages of missiles and drones, killing at least seven people.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Today's industrial stocks include a company that makes braking systems for trains out of Wilmerding, Pennsylvania as well as a trucking manufacturer in Bellevue, Washington.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Reigniting its engines for two braking burns, the booster settled onto the ship for a smoky but on-target touchdown less than 10 minutes after liftoff.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At one point, Davies can be seen sticking her head out of the open window and waving to park officials below.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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For most of her first two seasons, the league treated her like just another player, sticking her on the back of posters and leaving her out of promos.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deactivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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