activate

verb

ˈak-tə-ˌvāt How to pronounce activate (audio)
Definition of activatenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of activate The building’s fire alarm had been activated, according to court documents. — Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026 Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 14 July 2026 Once activated, the software runs locally on your computer, so there are no recurring payments or renewal reminders. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 13 July 2026 The train’s emergency brake was activated, and none of the 43 passengers were injured, according to police. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
  1. trigger
  2. spark
  3. drive
  4. power
  5. generate
  6. move
Verb
  • But authorities said the crews needed to carefully map out a rescue plan since a reckless excavation could risk triggering a secondary collapse, especially with the boulders at the scene.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • Long-term care facilities can be triggering environments, with intimate care often delivered by a changing stream of aides whom residents can't recognize.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
Definition of trigger
Verb
  • His goal sparked an offensive assault from Boise as Portland sank into a deep defensive mould, with five defenders and four midfielders sitting tight in their own box.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 July 2026
  • Jon Bernthal as Menelaus Menelaus is the king whose wife Helen sparked the Trojan War.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • The latest in Houston Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with three other construction crew members when unmarked vehicles carrying federal agents began following his van, his family said.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • When Fumi takes a job at Rin’s clinic planning to expose its darker side, their standoff drives the series, with the story more interested in what pushes people toward transformation than in the surgeries themselves.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • In May, Elon Musk reportedly spent at least $1 billion to buy an energy company with a fleet of combustion turbines, likely to power his AI model, Grok.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026
  • Chase Infiniti’s heat coming off One Battle After Another was enough to power her campaign more strongly than her show’s.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Definition of power
Verb
  • The room shouldn’t have activities that can generate more particles from smoke, like cooking.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 July 2026
  • That turned out to be wrong for a meaningful minority of them, whose brains were generating signals our methods were not sensitive enough to pick up.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026
Definition of generate
Verb
  • Trump then took the microphone and moved the conversation onto Balogun’s red card.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • Turkey moved fastest, deploying troops to its base and airlifting food within days, a role that also nudged Ankara's own reading of the Gulf.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of move

Browse Nearby Words

actions
activate
activated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on activate

Nglish: Translation of activate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All