as in kills
to cause to stop functioning
deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
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Recent Examples of deactivates
The heat from the water also deactivates enzymes that break down pigments.
—
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deactivates
kills
Verb
-
Gay attraction, for David (and this, too, echoes across Baldwin’s work), can only ever be masc4masc; effeminacy always kills desire.—
Garth Greenwell,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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The assault keeps him out of the combine and more or less kills his momentum.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deactivates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deactivates. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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