Meaning & use
deactivate
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To switch something off or stop it from working, so that it no longer operates.
Grammar: Takes an object: deactivate the alarm.
Patterns
- deactivate something
He entered a code to deactivate the alarm before leaving.
The technician deactivated the machine for safety.
You can deactivate the camera in the settings menu.
verbtransitive
To close or suspend an online account or service, often in a way that can be undone later.
Grammar: Usually used for accounts or cards: deactivate your profile.
Patterns
- deactivate something
She decided to deactivate her social media account for a month.
The bank deactivated my card after the suspicious payment.
You can reactivate a deactivated profile by logging in again.
verbtransitivemilitary
To make a bomb, chemical or other dangerous object harmless.
Grammar: Often used for explosives and weapons: deactivate a device.
Patterns
- deactivate something
The squad deactivated the old shell found in the garden.
Experts worked for hours to deactivate the bomb.
Word forms
| third person singular | deactivates |
|---|---|
| past tense | deactivated |
| past participle | deactivated |
| -ing form | deactivating |
Common combinations
- deactivate an account
- You can deactivate an account without losing your data.
- deactivate the alarm
- I forgot to deactivate the alarm when I came in.
- deactivate a device
- The remote lets you deactivate a device from afar.
- temporarily deactivate
- You can temporarily deactivate the feature.
- deactivate a card
- Call the bank to deactivate a lost card.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disable
- Disable often implies making something unable to work, sometimes permanently, whereas deactivate can be easily reversed.
- turn off
- Turn off is the everyday phrasal verb for switching something off, while deactivate is more formal or technical.
- disarm
- Disarm applies to weapons, bombs and alarms, so it is narrower than deactivate.
- shut down
- Shut down suggests closing a whole system or business, not just stopping one feature.
Opposites
Word family
- activate verb
- to make something start working
- reactivate verb
- to make something work again after it was stopped
- deactivation noun
- the act of stopping something working
- active adjective
- doing things or functioning
- inactive adjective
- not working or not doing anything
Commonly confused: deactivate or delete? deactivate or inactivate?
deactivate vs delete
Delete removes something permanently, whereas deactivate usually only pauses it so it can be restored.
deactivate vs inactivate
Inactivate means almost the same but is mostly used in science, such as inactivating a virus, while deactivate is the common everyday choice.
Practice
If you are not ready to quit the app for good, you can ___ your account for now and restore it later.
Choose one answer.
Deactivate means to switch something off in a way that can be undone. Delete and destroy suggest permanent removal, so they do not fit the idea of restoring it later.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deactivate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.