activate
Americanverb (used with object)
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activates,
present (3rd person singular)
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activated,
past participle, past
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activating
present participle
-
to make active; cause to function or act.
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Physics.
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to render more reactive; excite.
to activate a molecule.
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to induce radioactivity.
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to aerate (sewage) in order to accelerate decomposition of impure organic matter by microorganisms.
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Chemistry.
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to make (carbon, a catalyst, molecules, etc.) more active.
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to hasten (reactions) by various means, as heating.
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to place (a military unit or station) on an active status in an assigned capacity.
verb (used without object)
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activates,
present (3rd person singular)
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activated,
past participle, past
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activating
present participle
verb
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to make active or capable of action
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physics to make radioactive
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chem
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to increase the rate of (a reaction)
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to treat (a substance, such as carbon or alumina) so as to increase powers of adsorption
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physiol to prepare by arousal (the body or one of its organs (e.g. the brain)) for action
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to purify (sewage) by aeration
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military to create, mobilize, or organize (a unit)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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activationnoun
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activatornoun
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nonactivationnoun
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overactivateverb (used with object)
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superactivateverb (used with object)
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unactivatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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activatesimple
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activatessimple
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have activatedperfect
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has activatedperfect
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am activatingprogressive
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are activatingprogressive
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is activatingprogressive
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have been activatingperfect progressive
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has been activatingperfect progressive
Past
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activatedsimple
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had activatedperfect
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was activatingprogressive
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were activatingprogressive
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had been activatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of activate
Explanation
To activate something is to start it off, trigger it, or set it in motion. A villain in a late-night movie might say, “Activate the robot chickens!” And then you’re free to activate your remote and change the channel. To activate something is to make it active. It’s not just for bad guys — when you activate a credit or library card, you can start using it. When a coach activates a player on a sports team, the player enters the game. If someone activates a bomb, you should run. If the pancakes you’re cooking burst into flames, you’ll probably activate the smoke alarm. And you should run.
Vocabulary lists containing activate
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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"Fears and Phobias"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When Barcelona decided not to activate the £26m clause to buy the 28-year-old, whose United contract expires in 2028, it was thought to be a negotiating tactic, aimed at taking Rashford on another loan.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
They will require that autonomous vehicles feature safe procedures to activate and deactivate automated driving, it said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
That disruption appears to activate an immune response inside the muscle cells, leading to tissue damage.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Customers activate the wallet and eligible cards that their bank has already loaded into Paze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
At bedtime they turn the lamps to near darkness and activate safety lights in each space.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Instead, the sprinkler system activates and floods the entire house, turning a contained problem into widespread damage.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
McBride fears the law would interfere with the making of devices like the one that activates his lifelike hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
It activates if one spouse decides to stay at home and give up a career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Their signature heat comes from capsaicin, a natural compound that activates heat and pain sensing nerve receptors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
He activates it, just like the pediatrician always did, and it flashes bright pink.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Because working-class voters, as they tell us themselves, are not simply waiting to be activated by the right program, messenger or phrase.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
And so we learn of instruments that reflect the order of the universe, or are activated by thought, or combine useful objects in perfectly impractical ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On Tuesday, they activated Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia, both catchers who have played for the Dodgers in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rats whose orexin neurons had been activated reached higher breakpoints, showing that they were willing to perform more work for the reward.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
He spoke the ancient words that activated the Gift inside her, and she flew off to freedom.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Wearers can record video or take a photo by touching the frame - usually activating a light on the glasses in the process.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Overall, the study showed that PCAIs can produce powerful anticancer effects in pancreatic cancer cells by disrupting critical signaling networks, increasing oxidative stress, and activating apoptosis.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026
From an evolutionary perspective "stress is what keeps us alive" by activating our flight-or-fight response.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
More time is devoted to setting up the dramatic situation than to activating it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
It was like a hoverboard course made solid, complete with tight, banked turns, sharp climbs followed by long drops, even loops that took Tally upside down, her crash bracelets activating to keep her on board.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
