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.
- 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.
Origin of activate
Synonyms for activate
Antonyms for activate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for activation
refreshing, invigorating, restorative, bracing, reinvigorating, exhilarating, brisk, stimulating, invigoration, rebirth, incitement, provocation, revival, renewal, rousing, waking, stimulation, birth, kindlingExamples from the Web for activation
Contemporary Examples of activation
He went so far as to throw an “Activation Party” in their honor just weeks before his September arrest.
Historical Examples of activation
But non-military items also arrived for activation and test.
The Machine That Saved The WorldWilliam Fitzgerald Jenkins
The scientist set the controls and turned on the activation switch.
The Golden SkullJohn Blaine
There is no known explanation for this type of activation of the enzyme.
The Chemistry of Plant LifeRoscoe Wilfred Thatcher
How this activation is being aided and accelerated by another source of dynamic energy: irradiation from the sun.
The BrainAlexander Blade
It is usually measured by inserting materials of known composition and measuring their activation.
The Atomic FingerprintBernard Keisch
activate
verb (tr)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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activate
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper