verb
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to put into action or mechanical motion
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to motivate or incite into action
actuated by unworthy desires
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of actuate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin āctuāt(us) “reduced to action” (past participle of āctuāre ), equivalent to Latin āctu(s) ( see act) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To actuate is to put into motion. The "act" in actuate can remind you of this word's meaning — to put into action. A lever might actuate a pump, or malice might actuate a crime. Coming to us from the Latin word actus, which means "to act," actuate's meaning is simpler than it sounds — it just means to set in motion or activate some kind of motion. Think of one of those complex Rube Goldberg mouse traps; you know, the one where the boot kicks the ball that drops on the plank that tips over the ladder which rings a bell that cracks an egg that knocks over the cage onto the unsuspecting mouse. The boot actuates the whole shebang.
Vocabulary lists containing actuate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
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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.
In between government gigs, she worked in Silicon Valley as an executive and venture capitalist and in 2019 she founded the research non-profit Actuate.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2022
In 2019, she formed Actuate, a nonprofit that works with private philanthropy to conduct what she calls “solutions R&D” in areas ranging from sustainable energy and public health to the ethical use of technology.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 12, 2022
It's important to note, that MiamiCoin itself is not money, despite the name, caution Dara Tarkowski, a financial lawyer at Actuate Law in Chicago.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2021
Actuate refers solely to mental or moral power impelling one from within.
From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by Fernald, James Champlin
Actuate, akt′ū-āt, v.t. to put into or incite to action: to influence.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
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.
