actuate

[ ak-choo-eyt ]

See synonyms for: actuate actuation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ac·tu·at·ed, ac·tu·at·ing.

to incite or move to action; impel; motivate: actuated by selfish motives.
to put into action; start a process; turn on: to actuate a machine.

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 -ate¹

Other words from actuate

ac·tu·a·tion [ak-choo-ey-shuhn], /ˌæk tʃuˈeɪ ʃən/, noun
de·ac·tu·ate, verb (used with object), de·ac·tu·at·ed, de·ac·tu·at·ing.
self-ac·tu·at·ing, adjective
un·ac·tu·at·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with actuate

activate, actuate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use actuate in a sentence

She had never loved her husband, and had not been, therefore, actuated by her father's influence into leaving him.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
Meantime Bahia, actuated by the same spirit as Rio, had anticipated the revolution at that place.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria Graham
The mother, astonished at the suddenness of her choice, inquired what had actuated it. '
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
I can well understand the state of mind that actuated you, a young enthusiast, in these exciting times.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
A man must be completely wanting in intelligence if he does not show it when actuated by love, malice, or necessity.
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre | Jean de La Bruyre

British Dictionary definitions for actuate

actuate

/ (ˈæktʃʊˌeɪt) /

verb(tr)

to put into action or mechanical motion
to motivate or incite into action: actuated by unworthy desires

Origin of actuate

C16: from Medieval Latin actuātus, from actuāre to incite to action, from Latin āctus act

Derived forms of actuate

actuation, noun
actuator, 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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