Synonyms of activates

activates

verb

present tense third-person singular of activate

as in triggers

to cause to function

the thermostat is set to activate the heating system only when the temperature drops below 65 degrees

Synonyms & Similar Words

• triggers
• sparks
• drives
• generates
• powers
• moves
• actuates
• starts
• fuels
• ignites
• provokes
• pushes
• sets off
• runs
• turns on
• stimulates
• cranks (up)
• energizes
• fires
• launches
• charges
• electrifies
• reactivates
• touches off
• switches
• releases
• accelerates
• arouses
• turns over
• excites
• recharges
• incites
• instigates
• discharges
• catalyzes
• trips
• quickens
• kicks over
• vitalizes
• kick-starts
• stirs up
• jump-starts
• speeds (up)
• steps up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• cuts
• stops
• brakes
• deactivates
• turns off
• shuts off
• cuts out
• arrests
• checks
• halts
• sticks
• stalls
• jams
• slows
• cuts off
• suppresses
• draws up
• represses
• decelerates
• stunts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of activates

Chili introduces capsaicin, which activates nerves responsible for sensing heat rather than taste. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026

Every summer in Rhode Island, Art&Newport—an organization founded in 2017 by Dodie Kazanjian, a longtime contributing editor at this magazine—activates one of the seaside city’s most historic (and picturesque) sites with a temporary art exhibition. — Vogue, 28 July 2026

The license activates with a Microsoft account, and once that’s done, the desktop apps run independently. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 26 July 2026

Hitting the push-to-talk button activates and uses the microphone connected to the user’s computer, as the Codex Micro doesn’t come with a microphone. — New Atlas, 25 July 2026

All is saved, until Kripke kills Raj — and the device then activates, taking Stuart, Bert and Kripke to another universe. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 24 July 2026

In plainer terms, when a data center activates hundreds of megawatts of new AI computing load, the cost of building power plants to serve it doesn’t land on a hyperscaler’s bill — it gets spread across every household and small business on the grid. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 July 2026

What most people read as refusal is closer to a defense mechanism the mind adopted long before this particular disagreement started, one that activates faster than any deliberate choice could. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Openbay+ is available as soon as enrollment is complete, and unlimited roadside assistance activates 30 days after enrollment. — Emily Mercer, USA Today, 22 July 2026