activate

[ak-tuh-veyt]

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.

Origin of activate

First recorded in 1620–30; active + -ate¹

Related formsac·ti·va·tion, nounnon·ac·ti·va·tion, nouno·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

Can be confusedactivate actuate stimulate

Synonyms for activate

1. actuate, start, turn on, set going.

Antonyms for activate

1. stop, halt, check.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for activates

trigger, mobilize, stimulate, move, prompt, propel, energize, motivate, actuate, impel, start, arouse, rouse, stir

Examples from the Web for activates

Contemporary Examples of activates

It activates your parasympathetic nervous system and tells your body to relax and recuperate.
How to Master the Art of Breathing
Ari Meisel
April 14, 2014
It also has found a formula that activates and energizes hundreds of millions of people to believe in a better future.
China’s Not the Big Trade Cheat Harming America’s Domestic Economy
Zachary Karabell
March 19, 2012

Historical Examples of activates

The suggestion reaches your subconscious and activates you consciously to waken.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis
Melvin Powers

British Dictionary definitions for activates

activate

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 Formsactivation, 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

Word Origin and History for activates

activate

1620s; see active + -ate (2). Related: Activated; activating.