actuating

verb

present participle of actuate
1
as in activating
to cause to function a light actuated by a motion detector the alarm system actuates the door locks

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in driving
to set or keep in motion hearing depends on sound vibrations that actuate the complex mechanism of that sensory organ, the ear

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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 actuating Creating such complex structures combining soft and rigid features and actuating them with artificial muscles would further our understanding of natural kinematic structures. — IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026 Dynamic soft robots To create OCTOID’s modular actuating legs, researchers fabricated active (AL) and passive layers (PL) from cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) using a bottom-up self-assembly of reactive mesogens, crosslinkers, and chain extenders. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actuating
  1. activating
  2. driving
  3. triggering
  4. moving
  5. sparking
  6. propelling
Verb
  • Hawaii officials had told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Given Serra’s representation of Shift, the work is both an object in time and a device for activating time as a correlative of space.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of activating
Verb
  • Customers, especially younger generations who on average drink substantially less, are driving the demand.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
  • And on Sunday — despite driving with an impressive desperation (that included a heated Stage 2 exchange with his crew chief over the radio) — a few mistakes followed him.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of driving
Verb
  • And using a large portion of cash savings or pulling money from a retirement account to eliminate that mortgage could create other problems, including reducing liquidity or potentially triggering a sizable tax bill.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Extra chaos Then Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a gearbox failure on lap 43, triggering a virtual safety car.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • While Spencer Jones is still a work in progress defensively in center, Grisham certainly shouldn’t be patrolling the position for the Yankees moving forward.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There were Penn parents, too, likely moving their kids into college that weekend.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of moving
Verb
  • Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers, sparking fires and causing food to spoil.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Belgal was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an attempted arrest Thursday, sparking backlash from Mamdani’s progressive base.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparking
Verb
  • Google and Microsoft followed suit soon after, further propelling the log-in method into the mainstream consciousness.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But now, as excitement swirls over social media giant Meta Platforms' AI agent, traders are pouring into Snap call options on Monday, propelling trading volume to more than four times the month-long average, Cboe LiveVol data show.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of propelling

Browse Nearby Words

actuates
actuating
actuator
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Cite this Entry

“Actuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuating. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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