ACTUATING Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

actuating

verb

present participle of actuate

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

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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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

Verb

This has included pumping water from the Sea of Galilee, activating groundwater wells and using national water reserves.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
The Athletic reported on Sunday that Mateta was in dispute with Palace over the final year of his contract, which is set to expire next summer, with Palace activating an option to extend his deal by a further year last December.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of activating

Verb

After driving for a touchdown on their opening drive, the Wolverines didn’t score again until Buchanan snagged Underwood’s pass amid a crowd of defenders in the end zone.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Yet too many adults focus on winning and chasing college scholarships, driving up the costs for families and pressure on children to specialize in one sport and succeed.

— Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of driving

Verb

But at this point, many SEC administrators would rather find out by getting a win or by losing and then moving forward with that knowledge.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The storm, now moving west-northwest at just 5 mph, is forecast to turn northward to north-northeastward with an increase in forward speed Sunday and Monday, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of moving

Verb

These are proactive, temporary electricity shutoffs to prevent high-voltage power lines and equipment from sparking wildfires during red flag weather conditions.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
In July, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced that its AI agents hacked into the company Hugging Face, sparking concern among cybersecurity experts as well as consumers.

— Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of sparking

Verb

Like, what kinds of businesses were propelling people into the top of the income distribution?

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
The story of Canadian athlete turned disability activist Rick Hansen propelling his wheelchair 40,075 kilometers around the world in his 1984 Man in Motion tour to raise money and awareness for spinal cord injuries is already legend.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of propelling

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actuates

actuating

actuator

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“Actuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuating. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of actuating

verb

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