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
Based on the evidence available, the Food and Drug Administration currently states that pasteurization is able to destroy or inactivate heat-sensitive viruses such as H5N1 in milk.
—
Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
The good news is that at the lower temperature, heat inactivated the virus in raw milk within two minutes—which means that commercial pasteurization, which generally heats milk to 63°C for 30 minutes, should be sufficient to inactivate H5N1.
—Alice Park, TIME, 14 June 2024
Officials told reporters on Wednesday that the milk tested positive for presence of the virus, but the results do not indicate that the virus is currently infectious, as the pasteurization process works to inactivate viruses.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
This reduces the total number of microorganisms in the product and also inactivates enzymes that could contribute to spoilage.
—Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for inactivate 
Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024
The good news is that at the lower temperature, heat inactivated the virus in raw milk within two minutes—which means that commercial pasteurization, which generally heats milk to 63°C for 30 minutes, should be sufficient to inactivate H5N1.
—Alice Park, TIME, 14 June 2024
Officials told reporters on Wednesday that the milk tested positive for presence of the virus, but the results do not indicate that the virus is currently infectious, as the pasteurization process works to inactivate viruses.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
This reduces the total number of microorganisms in the product and also inactivates enzymes that could contribute to spoilage.
—Juan Silva, Discover Magazine, 21 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 15 Jul. 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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