1
as in activating
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 driving
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 actuating
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
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actuating
Verb
-
If Russia or China tried to attack it, Article 5 of the treaty would be triggered, activating NATO forces.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
With the sun, Mercury and Mars activating your second house, money, self-worth and personal priorities come into focus.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Adapting to changing ad spend ByteDance, which owns TikTok and isn’t publicly traded, is driving the industry race in China with the country’s most popular AI app, Doubao, multiple analysts have pointed out.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The 20-year-old California woman driving the sedan was seriously injured, authorities said.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That same afternoon, the lawyers allege, a call was made to the state’s central registry, triggering a follow-up by the city’s child welfare agency, the Administration for Children’s Services.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Ice could also weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.—
Emilie Megnien,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The world is moving faster and getting less predictable.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
As a search and knowledge management tool, Dash connects to tools, understands your work, and surfaces context and answers to keep projects moving.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The hotter temperatures are sparking changes in precipitation—rainier rains and drier droughts.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The confrontation is sparking a conversation about theater etiquette.—
Kristie Keleshian,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cam Skinner scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, propelling Blue Hills to a 52-30 Mayflower Athletic Conference win over Westport.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Nvidia has become the poster child for the AI boom, with the pervasiveness of its AI chips and platforms propelling it to briefly become the world’s first $5 trillion company last year.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Actuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuating. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
