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actuate

[ak-choo-eyt]

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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

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin āctuāt(us) reduced to action (past participle of āctuāre), equivalent to Latin āctu(s) (see act) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsac·tu·a·tion, nounde·ac·tu·ate, verb (used with object), de·ac·tu·at·ed, de·ac·tu·at·ing.self-ac·tu·at·ing, adjectiveun·ac·tu·at·ed, adjective

Can be confusedactivate actuate stimulate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for actuating

activate, prompt, inspire, propel, move, influence, arouse, animate, quicken, incite, motivate, cause, instigate, excite, induce, rouse, spur, energize, drive, impel

Examples from the Web for actuating

Historical Examples of actuating

On our side a solemn decision seems to be actuating the masses.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier
The finer impulse to protect her privacy was not actuating him; he knew that, too.
Blow The Man Down
Holman Day
By actuating our wills to love, and holy desire, and other affections.
A Christian Directory
Baxter Richard
But the actuating principle of the psychic investigators had changed.
The Room with the Tassels
Carolyn Wells
In every case, a result or "end" is treated as an actuating cause.
Human Nature and Conduct
John Dewey

British Dictionary definitions for actuating

actuate

verb (tr)

to put into action or mechanical motion

to motivate or incite into actionactuated by unworthy desires

Derived Formsactuation, nounactuator, noun

Word Origin for actuate

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

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 actuating

actuate

v.

1590s, from Medieval Latin actuatus, past participle of actuare, from Latin actus (see act (n.)). Related: Actuated; actuating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper