[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/deactivate/)

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# deactivate

verb (deactivate, deactivates, deactivated, deactivating)

«deactivate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To deactivate something is to turn it off or stop it from working. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#m1)
2. To deactivate an account is to close it or pause it so it cannot be used. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life and computing: deactivate an alarm, deactivate a social media account. In action stories, heroes deactivate bombs or traps. In science, heat can deactivate some substances, like germs or enzymes. Opposite: activate.

### Examples

- Mum deactivated the burglar alarm when we got home. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x1)
- The agent had ten seconds to deactivate the bomb. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x2)
- You can deactivate your account in the settings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x3)
- The robot was deactivated for the night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x4)
- Cooking deactivates many germs in food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x5)
- Don't deactivate the smoke alarm — it keeps you safe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/#x6)

### Note

Regular verb. Noun: deactivation. Prefix «de-» means undo, as in defrost, decode. Opposite: activate.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «deactivate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deactivate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«deactivate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/deactivate.html) on Mova free.