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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Recent Examples of activate
He could be activated as soon as Saturday, when the Mets are in Phoenix to face the Arizona Diamondbacks.
—
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
This activates systems in your body that control your stress levels and your hormones.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 4 May 2026
The order activates, for the first time, a private right of action.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Researchers stressed that living plastics can function when the spores are dormant and decay when the spores are activated.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for activate
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
This activates systems in your body that control your stress levels and your hormones.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 4 May 2026
The order activates, for the first time, a private right of action.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Researchers stressed that living plastics can function when the spores are dormant and decay when the spores are activated.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
-
Something triggered Ty Arafet in the fourth inning Saturday night during The First Academy’s Class 2A, Region 2 semifinal game against Montverde.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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But Christopher Morel then took three consecutive strikes from Jose Alvarado to end that rally, triggering boos from the crowd and leaving Miami down 6-4 headed to the ninth.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The comedian was subsequently taken off the air, sparking outcry and accusations of government censorship.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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But pilots and aviation experts say such warnings have been increasingly sparking alarm in cockpits as bogus signals from global positioning satellites hit commercial flights.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And in recent years, a new crop of miners driven by rising gold prices have sought to return to the landscape.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
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Further, the tax disincentivizes success, weakens California’s standing as a hub for innovation, and demonizes the wealthy – all of which erode investment, drive economic activity elsewhere, and are ultimately incompatible with America’s capitalist roots.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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That output is sufficient to power approximately 24,000 households each year.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
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Hyperscalers such as Meta and Google plan to use those chips for the data centers that will power their AI ambitions, which have been at the center of billions of dollars worth of investments since the beginning of the year.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Hyperliquid generated approximately $962m in fees in 2025 on roughly $3tn in notional trading volume.—
Bob Diamond,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The company is expected to generate annual run-rate cost savings of approximately $40 million and is anticipated to be completed by the first quarter of 2027.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He was instructed to respond by moving his eyes from left to right, and sure enough, the researchers counted two rightward movements of his eyes.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
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Mercury moves through your 1st House of Identity, sharpening your voice and making your words more direct than usual.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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