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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of activate
With Martin down, the linebacker corps features Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune and Curtis Robinson, the latter of whom was activated Saturday off the practice squad for his special-teams contributions.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
There's a volume slider, track controls, and a button to activate either Amazon Alexa or the Sonos Voice Control.
—Brad Bourque, Wired News, 26 Aug. 2025
About 800 National Guard troops are being activated, with Humvees parked along the Washington Monument and near Union Station.
—John Seewer, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
The Pro Bowl linebacker was finally activated from the physically unable to perform list last Sunday after 11 months of rehabbing and trying to get back on the practice field.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
There's a volume slider, track controls, and a button to activate either Amazon Alexa or the Sonos Voice Control.
—Brad Bourque, Wired News, 26 Aug. 2025
About 800 National Guard troops are being activated, with Humvees parked along the Washington Monument and near Union Station.
—John Seewer, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
The Pro Bowl linebacker was finally activated from the physically unable to perform list last Sunday after 11 months of rehabbing and trying to get back on the practice field.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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The signatories — which included the likes of EV manufacturers Volvo and Polestar, as well as material suppliers, battery manufacturers and grid operators — said the introduction of the target had already triggered hundreds of billions of euros in new investment.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Polish airspace was violated by at least 19 Russian drones overnight, the country's prime minister said, in a torrent of activity that triggered a response from the NATO country's air force, which scrambled and downed several of the drones.—
Will Gretsky,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The federal government filed two lawsuits Thursday against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked fires including January’s Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Police reported the suspect got into an awaiting black SUV driven by a second suspect, and the pair fled the scene.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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But there is also a deeper democratic malaise driven by his reluctance to heed the message delivered at the ballot box.—
Cole Stangler,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ford dropped it from the Explorer’s retail lineup, but continues to offer it in police vehicles, which benefit from its ability to power AC and other accessories without running the engine when parked, as patrol vehicles often spend lots of time doing.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Its chips can power in-car entertainment systems, for example, and on Monday, the company announced a partnership with Google Cloud that allows automakers to create their own digital assistants.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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According to the paper, the vertical structure allows panels in the upper canopy to generate power while permitting sufficient light to reach the understory vegetation.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Officers said — and video showed — the rancher moved his hands into his jacket after exiting his truck immediately following the crash.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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The website’s mobile observatory — which moves about in search of clear skies — will this year be in Cyprus, where the partial eclipse phases occur 30 minutes after moonrise, with totality an hour after that.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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