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inactivate
verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˌ)i-ˈnak-tə-ˌvāt
inactivated; inactivating; inactivates
: to make inactive
chemicals to inactivate viruses
Examples of inactivate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Pasteurization and adequate cooking inactivates the virus.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Ahead of the presidential election, voter status will be restored to people inactivated who should still be eligible.
—April Rubin, Axios, 16 Oct. 2024
The good news: cooking legumes inactivates most lectins, Harvard notes.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2024
The influenza virus is readily inactivated by heat treatments.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 3 Sep. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1906, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near inactivate
Cite this Entry
“Inactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inactivate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
inactivate
transitive verb
in·ac·ti·vate
(ˈ)in-ˈak-tə-ˌvāt
inactivated; inactivating
: to make inactive: as
a
: to destroy certain biological activities of
inactivate the complement of normal serum by heat
b
: to cause (as an infectious agent) to lose disease-producing capacity
inactivate bacteria
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