1
as in activating
to cause to function
a light actuated by a motion detector the alarm system actuates the door locks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in driving
to set or keep in motion
hearing depends on sound vibrations that actuate the complex mechanism of that sensory organ, the ear
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of actuating
Dynamic soft robots To create OCTOID’s modular actuating legs, researchers fabricated active (AL) and passive layers (PL) from cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) using a bottom-up self-assembly of reactive mesogens, crosslinkers, and chain extenders.
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Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actuating
Verb
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There was also the possibility of the Panthers activating interior offensive lineman Chandler Zavala ahead of Saturday’s game.—
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This is especially significant to consider early in the year when Saturn and Neptune join forces in Aries, activating a part of your chart that governs intimacy, trust and emotional merging.—
Verb
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Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.—
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According to investigators, the man was driving a Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Kilgore Road when the truck left the roadway, entered a ditch and overturned.—
Verb
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The Telegraph, which has published anti-BBC commentary for years, reported on the existence of the memo on November 3, triggering days of controversy in the United Kingdom.—
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The move comes after a single campus, the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade, received five straight F ratings, triggering a state law that requires the commissioner to intervene.—
Verb
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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.—
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Director Michael Arden, meanwhile, is up to his elbows just moving the cumbersome Legos of Dane Laffrey’s set around.—
Verb
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The hotter temperatures are sparking changes in precipitation—rainier rains and drier droughts.—
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The confrontation is sparking a conversation about theater etiquette.—
Verb
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Cam Skinner scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, propelling Blue Hills to a 52-30 Mayflower Athletic Conference win over Westport.—
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Nvidia has become the poster child for the AI boom, with the pervasiveness of its AI chips and platforms propelling it to briefly become the world’s first $5 trillion company last year.—
Cite this Entry
“Actuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuating. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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