activate
to make active; cause to function or act.
Physics.
to render more reactive; excite: to activate a molecule.
to induce radioactivity.
to aerate (sewage) in order to accelerate decomposition of impure organic matter by microorganisms.
Chemistry.
to make (carbon, a catalyst, molecules, etc.) more active.
to hasten (reactions) by various means, as heating.
to place (a military unit or station) on an active status in an assigned capacity.
to become active or functional.
Origin of activate
1Other words for activate
| 1 | actuate, start, turn on, set going |
Opposites for activate
Other words from activate
- ac·ti·va·tion [ak-tuh-vey-shuhn], /ˌæk təˈveɪ ʃən/, noun
- non·ac·ti·va·tion, noun
- o·ver·ac·ti·vate, verb (used with object), o·ver·ac·ti·vat·ed, o·ver·ac·ti·vat·ing.
- su·per·ac·ti·vate, verb (used with object), su·per·ac·ti·vat·ed, su·per·ac·ti·vat·ing.
- un·ac·ti·vat·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with activate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use activate in a sentence
The fMRI scan measures blood flow in the brain, and can sense when certain areas are activated.
Welcome to Generation Overshare: Lena Dunham, Taylor Swift, and the Politics of Self-Disclosure | Marlow Stern | November 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSynchronoss only got paid when a customer activated on AT&T, so each of those jailbreakers was costing Synchronoss money.
As for the claims that activated charcoal will help purify your body from toxins?
Some natural health practitioners also say activated charcoal can be useful to treat minor digestive issues.
To make this finding even more compelling, Rubin de-activated RB in female brain cells.
Why Men May Be More Likely to Get Deadly Brain Cancer | Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I did not know if it was an alarm activated by the opening door or just rust on the rails and wheels of the door mechanism.
Valley of the Croen | Lee TarbellEach of these is easily activated, giving radioactive isotopes, copper-64 and copper-66.
The Atomic Fingerprint | Bernard KeischAfter four minutes, the return vehicle was activated and as it broke away from the capsule, Lynds blacked out for twenty seconds.
What Need of Man? | Harold CalinWe use black light almost exclusively or activated phosphorous such as on the sheaths of the nerve cables.
The Brain | Alexander BladeHe activated a relay in his forearm and there was a click as the waterproof cover on an exterior socket swung open.
The Velvet Glove | Harry Harrison
British Dictionary definitions for activate
/ (ˈæktɪˌveɪt) /
to make active or capable of action
physics to make radioactive
chem
to increase the rate of (a reaction)
to treat (a substance, such as carbon or alumina) so as to increase powers of adsorption
physiol to prepare by arousal (the body or one of its organs (e.g. the brain)) for action
to purify (sewage) by aeration
US military to create, mobilize, or organize (a unit)
Derived forms of activate
- activation, noun
- activator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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