activate
Americanverb (used with object)
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activates,
present (3rd person singular)
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activated,
past participle, past
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activating
present participle
-
to make active; cause to function or act.
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Physics.
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to render more reactive; excite.
to activate a molecule.
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to induce radioactivity.
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to aerate (sewage) in order to accelerate decomposition of impure organic matter by microorganisms.
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Chemistry.
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to make (carbon, a catalyst, molecules, etc.) more active.
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to hasten (reactions) by various means, as heating.
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to place (a military unit or station) on an active status in an assigned capacity.
verb (used without object)
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activates,
present (3rd person singular)
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activated,
past participle, past
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activating
present participle
verb
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to make active or capable of action
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physics to make radioactive
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chem
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to increase the rate of (a reaction)
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to treat (a substance, such as carbon or alumina) so as to increase powers of adsorption
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physiol to prepare by arousal (the body or one of its organs (e.g. the brain)) for action
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to purify (sewage) by aeration
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military to create, mobilize, or organize (a unit)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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activationnoun
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activatornoun
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nonactivationnoun
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overactivateverb (used with object)
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superactivateverb (used with object)
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unactivatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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activatesimple
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activatessimple
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have activatedperfect
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has activatedperfect
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am activatingprogressive
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are activatingprogressive
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is activatingprogressive
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have been activatingperfect progressive
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has been activatingperfect progressive
Past
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activatedsimple
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had activatedperfect
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was activatingprogressive
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were activatingprogressive
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had been activatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of activate
Explanation
To activate something is to start it off, trigger it, or set it in motion. A villain in a late-night movie might say, “Activate the robot chickens!” And then you’re free to activate your remote and change the channel. To activate something is to make it active. It’s not just for bad guys — when you activate a credit or library card, you can start using it. When a coach activates a player on a sports team, the player enters the game. If someone activates a bomb, you should run. If the pancakes you’re cooking burst into flames, you’ll probably activate the smoke alarm. And you should run.
Vocabulary lists containing activate
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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"Fears and Phobias"
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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.
See Examples For:
Bubic made his last rehab appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, so the Dodgers are not expected to activate him off the 60-day injured list right away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Activists and experts say the time is ripe to activate bipartisan legislation to address pollution in the Tijuana River.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
As the animals matured, their dopamine-producing brain cells developed a more open DNA structure, making stress response genes easier to activate.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
They activate what Mr. Lieberman refers to as “primeval cravings,” stimulating the brain’s reward centers and contributing to addiction and overconsumption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
I heard a vacuum activate, sucking the indent’s regurgitated Oreos down the tube and into the floor.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
"Moving the jaw muscles activates the big salivary glands. It cleans the mouth, it protects the teeth and it's vital for digestion."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Keytruda is administered at the same time to help make sure the patient’s immune response activates against the leftover cancer cells.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Previous research showed that EPS8 accumulates as worms grow older and activates damaging stress responses that shorten their lifespan.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
But the illness brought on by the worms, and the stirring awareness of her mortality, activates what Ms. Day calls a “coup of the primordial.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“But this one activates a radio jammer so no one can use electronic devices to listen in on you.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Pham was activated from the IL on Wednesday and could provide valuable postseason experience to complement his young new teammates — he has hit .315 in 37 career playoff games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Authorities activated a mass-casualty response plan, with 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 vehicles drafted in.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
The program focuses on understanding how these receptors change shape, become activated, and transmit signals inside cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Somewhere inside me, a tiny rewards-program customer had been activated.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Electricity had overwhelmed her circuits, but then her recovery program activated, and after a moment, she was fully functional again.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
On December 4, 2022, a flow of hot volcanic material entered the sea at Stromboli and generated a small tsunami, activating the island's warning system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
The resulting outcry shamed the network and demonstrated the activating power of public outrage.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
Many experimental compounds designed to stimulate PPARδ work by binding directly to the receptor and activating it.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
Mobilizers focus on activating previously uninvolved portions of the electorate and bringing them to the polls; persuaders on changing the minds of regular voters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
He flashed a smile, activating the zygomatic major.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
