be inert

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Various Second World War-era unexploded ordnance items were discovered as a result of the wildfires, which the EOD operator declared to be inert practice projectiles. They were retrieved for subsequent disposal," he explained.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

Elements of the larger, intact missile, such as the warhead, were missing and the authorities deemed the piece to be inert and safe, the police said in a news release on Friday.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2024

They theorized that sodium's core electrons, thought to be inert, would interact with each other and the outer valence electrons when under extreme pressure.

From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2023

Mr. Seraphin stressed that investigators don’t know whether the devices were intended to be inert.

From Washington Times • May 12, 2023

So we speak of nature, thinking it to be inert, as 'dead matter.'

From The Recreations of a Country Parson by Boyd, Andrew Kennedy Hutchison