as in to trigger
to cause to function
the thermostat is set to activate the heating system only when the temperature drops below 65 degrees
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Recent Examples of activate
Bitter taste receptors inside cancer cells have been found to be activated in the presence of anti-cancer drugs.
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New Atlas, 8 Nov. 2025
Any of these games will activate your offer from BetMGM Sportsbook.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
In Ibadan, the biennial activates the New Culture Studio designed by Demas Nwoko (1970), exploring urban and architectural dimensions of confinement.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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She was released and showed back up over an hour later, triggering another scuffle.—
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Routine recommendations trigger automatic prompts in medical records and enable nurses to vaccinate under standing orders.—
Verb
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The incident sparked national outcry, as numerous videos circulated online showing multiple angles of the shooting, including the bodycam point of view of the officer who shot Good.—
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The shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, have sparked fierce debates across the nation.—
Verb
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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the unrest has been driven by a mix of economic desperation and political anger.—
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While there are some other small new concessions in the CBA that will help players make ends meet (such as getting access to health benefits in the offseason), to hear ECHLers explain their strike vote, the pay bump was never the driving force.—
Verb
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Walmart’s 400 kW chargers can power two EVs at once.—
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Lucid Group, Nuro, and Uber have unveiled the production-intent robotaxi that will power their upcoming global autonomous ride-hailing service.—
Verb
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This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates an article based on a template created by humans.—
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Solar built into the body When deployed across multiple exterior surfaces, the system can generate meaningful power.—
Verb
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Enrollment Though still growing overall, state economists reported in early January that K-12 enrollment numbers were nearly 42,500 lower than predicted, with signs of continuing downward trends moving forward.—
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Researchers at the University of Manchester, led by Professor Thomas Anthopoulos, have successfully stabilized perovskite solar cells, which could help move the low-cost technology into the global mass market.—
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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