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
Worth noting Despite being eliminated from postseason contention, the Giants plan to keep catcher Jesus Rodriguez on the taxi squad instead of activating him to make his major-league debut.
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Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
The sympathetic system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, while the parasympathetic system activates the body’s rest-and-digest mode.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2025
Prioritize visibility Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by activating your headlights.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
The former will, before a collision, pull passengers back into the best position to absorb the impact of a crash by tightening the belt, while the latter — which activates milliseconds after a collision occurs — allows the seat belt to gently unspool to relieve the force on that person’s chest.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
The sympathetic system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, while the parasympathetic system activates the body’s rest-and-digest mode.
—Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2025
Prioritize visibility Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by activating your headlights.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
The former will, before a collision, pull passengers back into the best position to absorb the impact of a crash by tightening the belt, while the latter — which activates milliseconds after a collision occurs — allows the seat belt to gently unspool to relieve the force on that person’s chest.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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Solar storms—giant bursts of energy from the Sun that disturb the Earth’s magnetic field—may play a role in triggering heart attacks, particularly in women, a new study has found.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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To trigger this effect, the researchers used nanoscale slots in a thin layer of gold, each about a thousand times thinner than a sheet of cling wrap.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the president’s crackdown, which has seen one immigrant fatally shot by a federal agent, has sparked nearly around-the-clock protest at the facility located about 12 miles west of the Willis Tower.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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Hundreds of lightning strikes sparked across the Bay Area as a low pressure system passed through the region this week, bringing a spattering of rain and a cooldown that is set to end as temperatures heat up again.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While OpenAI says that scaling is key to driving innovation and future AI breakthroughs, investors and analysts are beginning to raise their eyebrows over the mindboggling sums.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
29 Sep. 2025
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And entertainment, in my opinion, drives fashion culture.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The idea is that Nvidia gives OpenAI cash to build data centers, and in return, OpenAI buys Nvidia’s chips (at a discount) to power those data centers.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
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Genna McDonald tallied two goals and an assist to power Medfield to a 5-1 Tri-Valley League win over Norwood.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Done right, these collaborations not only generate hype, but pay off.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
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Morrisey hasn’t withdrawn his executive order, which conflicts with the state’s immunization law, and has generated confusion and uncertainty.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The traffic itself generally keeps moving rather than fully stopping.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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Univisión moved the Premios Juventud to Panama and the Latin Grammys to Las Vegas, after hosting the 2024 event here.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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