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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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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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:
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
“The time that it takes to fully activate a performing arts center the size of the Vision has to occur in phases,” Wafer said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
They will also be able to activate "quiet times" when the tool will be switched off for them.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
They aren’t living drab or depressing lives when the Guardians of the Universe activate them — they’re faring pretty well, all things considered.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
“I read this in one of my auntie’s journals. You can actually activate the poisons that way.”
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
In addition to acting as an ACC inhibitor, it activates PPARα and PPARδ, cellular receptors that switch on genes involved in taking up fat and burning it for energy.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 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
McBride fears the law would interfere with the making of devices like the one that activates his lifelike hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
He activates it, just like the pediatrician always did, and it flashes bright pink.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
“From a neuroscience stance, when you go through something so intense with others, bonding chemicals are activated in your brain, and it’s beneficial for human mental and physical health in a lot of ways.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Poland's military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences aimed at protecting its airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The digital bank posted on X, external it had "identified some issues" and activated a stand-in backup service which meant users could still make transactions like card payments and sending and receiving bank transfers.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
He isn’t perfect, but has 16 saves and was serviceable filling in for Díaz before he was activated off the injured list on July 29.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
She plugged it into a USB port, copied the program, and activated it.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
"It is not simply blocking lipid synthesis. It is also activating energy expenditure pathways that may help the body handle excess lipid and glucose more effectively."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Wearers can record video or take a photo by touching the frame - usually activating a light on the glasses in the process.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Before activating my own Lightning Lane, I studied tutorials on Reddit and YouTube, where I learned that only suckers make a ride reservation and patiently wait for their designated time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"What we're saying is that at least part of coffee's health benefits may come through binding and activating this receptor," Safe said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
I think about what my mother said, about activating my genes and becoming Chinese.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
