/ Dictionary / Index D deactivate: Meaning and Definition of Find definitions for: de•ac•ti•vate Pronunciation: (dē-ak'tu-vāt"), [key] — v., -vat•ed, -vat•ing. —v.t. to cause to be inactive; remove the effectiveness of. to demobilize or disband (a military unit). to render (a bomb, shell, or the like) inoperative, esp. by disconnecting, removing, or otherwise interfering with the action of the fuze. to render (a chemical, enzyme, catalyst, etc.) inactive. —v.i. to lose radioactivity. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. See also: deactivate (Thesaurus) de-acquisition dead Related Content Daily Word Quiz: arid Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language