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 Wandy Peralta was activated off the Bereavement List and pitched a scoreless ninth inning. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026 Most can be set to activate on a timer, and some are even capable of self-emptying their collection bins and automatically recharging themselves. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 The malware can activate a camera, including during a fake identity check. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026 Chase the dream as Jupiter activates Neptune and Pluto today. — Usa Today, USA Today, 20 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
  • One early stop involved the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California’s Alabama Hills, where Silbiger captured the photo that sparked the creative vision for her series.
    — Sarah Silbiger, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Distillation sparks dispute The letter also challenges calls to restrict AI distillation, a technique that trains one model using another model’s outputs.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 July 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • To prevent speculation that drives up land price without actual construction, the zoning benefits would be granted only on submission of building-permit applications.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Real estate has always been driven by connections between buyers and sellers.
    — Heartland MLS®, Kansas City Star, 22 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
  • Russia has used ports such as Astrakhan and Olya to move military cargo between Iran and Russia, according to analysts.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • The annual judging is done by examining the photos of the works, given that the medium, blackboards, can’t be moved easily.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 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 25 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

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

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
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
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All