1
as in activated
to cause to function
a light actuated by a motion detector the alarm system actuates the door locks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in moved
to set or keep in motion
hearing depends on sound vibrations that actuate the complex mechanism of that sensory organ, the ear
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 actuated
The arms have seven degrees of freedom, which LG says matches a human arm, and the fingers on each hand are individually actuated, so the robot should be fairly dexterous.
—
John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The two chambers of the soft, pneumatic finger are actuated manually, using two large syringes filled with air.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2022
John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The two chambers of the soft, pneumatic finger are actuated manually, using two large syringes filled with air.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actuated
Verb
-
Amir Levy/Getty Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia all activated their air defense systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighbors.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Bahrain activated sirens, warning civilians to seek shelter.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm struggled to make the cut — DeChambeau didn’t, Rahm did — but Englishman Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII shot a 6-under-par 66 and moved into contention to win his first major championship.—
Stan Awtrey,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Consider what has befallen them in the 11 centuries since Hungarian tribes moved into the Carpathian Basin, in 896.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This resignation triggered a special election to fill her seat for the remainder of the year.—
Caleb Groves,
AJC.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Pulse flows are conditional events that span four to seven days and can increase or decrease dam releases, often triggered to support river conditions.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Colton Ludwig also drove in two runs for Kaneland (2-4-1).—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Peterson drove Boise students for bus provider Durham School Services.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kuwait said its air defenses intercepted drones, while Bahrain reported that an Iranian attack has sparked a fire at one of its facilities.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Verified video and photos from the region showed how sprawling strikes across parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley shot towering columns of acrid smoke into the sky above the capital and sparked a desperate evacuation.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Saturday's mission was the seventh flight for the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage that propelled the cargo ship toward orbit.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Food editor Gail Ciampa explains what propelled Pizza Mamma to victory from the initial bracket of 32 pizzerias, toppling even James Beard Award winner Al Forno.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both were impelled to launch ninth-inning pushes to persuade Oscar voters that Shakespeare wasn’t really in love and Private Ryan needed serious saving.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Daniel’s commercial failure as a novelist impelled him to move to Los Angeles to try writing for the movies.—
David Kamp,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Actuated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuated. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
