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
As the first events approached, organizers had hoped for clear, sunny weather to reduce overall pollution and allow ultraviolet light to inactivate some bacteria.
—
Evan Bush, NBC News, 31 July 2024
Pump the antibiotics out of their cells: Bacteria may use pumps located on their cell linings to push antibiotics out.
Destroy or change the antibiotic: Bacteria can use proteins to break down antibiotics and inactivate them.
—Alex Yampolsky, Verywell Health, 17 July 2024
Such a vaccine, researchers hope, would prime the animal’s immune system to produce antibodies that bind to the methanogens in the rumen and inactivate them.
—Bob Holmes, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2024
So far, the team has shown that vaccinated sheep do produce lots of methanogen-targeting antibodies in their saliva—enough to inactivate all the methanogens in the rumen.
—Bob Holmes, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for inactivate 
Evan Bush, NBC News, 31 July 2024
Pump the antibiotics out of their cells: Bacteria may use pumps located on their cell linings to push antibiotics out.
Destroy or change the antibiotic: Bacteria can use proteins to break down antibiotics and inactivate them.
—Alex Yampolsky, Verywell Health, 17 July 2024
Such a vaccine, researchers hope, would prime the animal’s immune system to produce antibodies that bind to the methanogens in the rumen and inactivate them.
—Bob Holmes, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2024
So far, the team has shown that vaccinated sheep do produce lots of methanogen-targeting antibodies in their saliva—enough to inactivate all the methanogens in the rumen.
—Bob Holmes, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for inactivate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inactivate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Inactivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inactivate. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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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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