ACTIVATE Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

activate

verb

ˈak-tə-ˌvāt

Definition of activate

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

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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 After announcing an agreement with a drone defense firm last month, the Jacksonville Jaguars were set to activate the team’s new drone defense system for the first time this weekend. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 More than 120 National Guard members were activated on the island for Nolo, among roughly 400 statewide, after Green issued an emergency proclamation. — Ryan Chandler, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026 Leavening agents are meant to activate at the right time to help baked goods rise properly. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026 And in an fMRI study that tracked brain activity while people were playing Cyberball, researchers found that rejection activated the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex—a brain region also involved in processing physical pain. — George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for activate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate

Verb

Georgia Tech engineers have developed a wireless networking system that lets tiny implants communicate through body tissue, potentially allowing sensors in one part of the body to trigger treatment somewhere else.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Rather than simply flagging when a live stream has broken, Pixentinel aims to determine where a failure originated supplu evidence to the diagnosis and, where possible, automatically trigger a response.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of trigger

Verb

Several vehicles caught fire outside a Homestead home early Tuesday morning, with the flames spreading to the house as investigators work to determine what sparked the blaze.

— Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
The next general election does not have to be called until 2029, but Labour’s revival has sparked talk of a snap election.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of spark

Verb

The nation's flood insurance program struggles to balance affordability, flood protection and cost to taxpayers, leaving millions vulnerable at a time when climate change is driving flood risk higher.

— MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
These, then collided with boron nuclei and helped drive the fusion reaction rate beyond 100 million reactions per second.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of drive

Verb

Because the data center boom is so new, there has not yet been a comprehensive study analyzing how much more electricity and hence pollution is being generated to power them.

— Anna Zarra Aldrich, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Officials where the facility is being built have delayed permits necessary to power the project, and Oracle may seek to delay lease payments.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of power

Verb

The chips are power-hungry (a ChatGPT AI query consumes about ten times as much energy as a normal Google search) and also generate a lot of heat, which requires cooling systems.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026
This car always feels planted, glued to the track, thanks in large part to the aero package capable of generating more than 6,000 pounds of downforce—double that of a Formula 1 racer at speed.

— Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of generate

Verb

Taken together, the announcements show Meta moving beyond the idea of glasses as simply VR or camera devices.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
There’s been a steady drumbeat of streaming price hikes as companies over the last few years — and months — as companies moved away from a focus on subscriber additions to profitability.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of move

Browse Nearby Words

actions

activate

activated

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“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of activate

verb

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