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activate

[ ak-tuh-veyt ]
/ ˈæk təˌveɪt /
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See synonyms for: activate / activated / activating / activation on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), ac·ti·vat·ed, ac·ti·vat·ing.
to make active; cause to function or act.
Physics.
  1. to render more reactive; excite: to activate a molecule.
  2. to induce radioactivity.
to aerate (sewage) in order to accelerate decomposition of impure organic matter by microorganisms.
Chemistry.
  1. to make (carbon, a catalyst, molecules, etc.) more active.
  2. to hasten (reactions) by various means, as heating.
to place (a military unit or station) on an active status in an assigned capacity.
verb (used without object), ac·ti·vat·ed, ac·ti·vat·ing.
to become active or functional.

OTHER WORDS FOR activate

1 actuate, start, turn on, set going.
See synonyms for activate on Thesaurus.com
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
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Origin of activate

First recorded in 1620–30; active + -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM activate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH activate

1. activate , actuate2. activate , stimulate

Words nearby activate

Actions speak louder than words, action stations, action verb, Actis, Actium, activate, activated alumina, activated carbon, activated charcoal, activated mine, activated sludge
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to activate

call up, mobilize, stimulate, switch on, trigger, turn on, actuate, arouse, energize, impel, motivate, move, prompt, propel, rouse, start, stir, set in motion

How to use activate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for activate

activate
/ (ˈæktɪˌveɪt) /
verb (tr)
to make active or capable of action
physics to make radioactive
chem
  1. to increase the rate of (a reaction)
  2. 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, nounactivator, 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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