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 Due to the seriousness of the motor vehicle collision, the Mid-State Accident Reconstruction Squad was activated and assumed the investigation, police said. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 The mayfly party started almost at the minute the onset of night activated the lights. — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026 The setup has afforded Rushing more regular at-bats than initially expected when the Dodgers activated him this week. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Magnesium supports insulin signaling by helping to activate enzymes inside your cells that regulate how your body uses glucose and responds to insulin. — Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 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
  • Before this dilemma can play out, Hal triggers an Indiana Jones–esque booby trap inside the compound’s stronghold, summoning Macon’s men with their advanced weaponry.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The rain could trigger flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of trigger
Verb
  • Early on Thursday morning technical researcher Eric Lu sparked worldwide excitement and confusion by posting a sequence of 130 digits on X (formerly Twitter).
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The pulling of two men alive from a hydropower tunnel deep inside the Nepal Himalaya nine days after the disaster has sparked hope in Nepal.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of spark
Verb
  • Haaland, along with Martin Odegaard, was the driving force behind Norway’s run to the quarter-finals.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • If Assembly Bill 1709 is approved, social media companies would need to provide platforms to children under 16 years old that do not include personalized feeds driven by algorithms, autoplaying videos and other features.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • That was enough to power the film to the best opening weekend in Scream history.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Onslaught Is All Blood, No Guts Adam Wingard’s latest film is a too-slick wannabe grindhouse action-slasher lacking the engine necessary to power it.
    — Britina Cheng, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of power
Verb
  • The interplay between players and their coaches often generates some of the most dramatic viewing moments of a tennis match.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Fading fall savings Virtuoso is seeing a 59% increase in fall 2026 bookings over last year, with the amount of money generated off fall bookings up 69%.
    — Marnie Hunter, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of generate
Verb
  • The Minot operation took that work a step further by moving an entire system for refurbishment.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Over the course of Exile, TV Rain’s studios as well as its various employees will be forced to move countries multiple times, everybody’s life and career atomized across the globe.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All