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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of activate
At issue is whether drones or cruise missiles could be hidden in shipping containers aboard these vessels, activated remotely or after offloading, and used in a preemptive strike.
—
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
The Premier League champions activated his €35million (£29.6m; $40m) release clause, and the fee will be paid in three instalments over three years.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 2 June 2025
While activating your eighth house of joint ventures and emotional bonds, consider what needs to be reworked or improved in your personal life and relationship investments.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 June 2025
Breathing in and sighing out slowly for longer than your in breath with an open mouth can activate the vagus nerve, a crucial component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
—Paul McClure 24, New Atlas, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
The Premier League champions activated his €35million (£29.6m; $40m) release clause, and the fee will be paid in three instalments over three years.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 2 June 2025
While activating your eighth house of joint ventures and emotional bonds, consider what needs to be reworked or improved in your personal life and relationship investments.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 June 2025
Breathing in and sighing out slowly for longer than your in breath with an open mouth can activate the vagus nerve, a crucial component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
—Paul McClure 24, New Atlas, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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His tweets and public statements have frequently triggered substantial price surges, establishing a direct correlation between his pronouncements and market performance.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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While no breakthroughs were predicted or expected, the leaders reached a consensus in several areas to increase currency stability, restore growth without triggering new inflation, and reduce trade barriers.—
Robert Hormats,
Time,
10 June 2025
Verb
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Madeleine went missing on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in the Algarve town of Praia da Luz, sparking a frenzied search and gaining the attention of the world’s media.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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These suggestions could prove to be the best present or at least spark an idea for the right gift for the dads in your life.—
Ramsey Qubein,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Cultural messaging conditions women to play small We’re encouraged to be grateful, careful, and selfless; not bold, strategic, or profit driven.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Goldstein drove Boozer home with a sacrifice fly and Corral plated the go-ahead run with a single through the right side.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Google Cloud plays a massive role in powering the web.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
12 June 2025
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This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Infrastructure leaders need to be able to calculate the cloud cost to understand the gross profit generated by a sale.—
Sergey Avdyushkin,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Some of those accusations later generated criminal charges and convictions in New York and California.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Word moved around the ticket-holders, likely waiting for Novak Djokovic’s match to follow this one, that one of their own was doing something special.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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The two new fire stations, plus the new fire department headquarters that is set to hold a relocated Fire Station 4, are being moved at the recommendation of a 2021 plan that looked to lower emergency response times.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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