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
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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.
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Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actuating
Verb
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Stepping into a room that hot triggers an immediate stress reaction, activating the sympathetic arm of the nervous system, the fight-or-flight response.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2026
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Many started online by going to the same shock site, and activating their own profile.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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Police said it is now believed Daniels was driving the vehicle as Minor opened fire.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The gruesome discovery would eventually lead authorities to a third woman, in her 80s, killed a few towns over, triggering a manhunt across several states and prompting a two-day closure of schools in Wayne County.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Skiing safely through avalanche terrain and planning ahead to avoid triggering a slide is part of this courtesy, according to the advocacy group.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kiwis moving abroad is not uncommon, and more Kiwis generally are choosing to leave than before; in the year ending November 2025, almost 122,000 people emigrated, a 4% jump from the previous year and higher than a previous spike in 2012.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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Ultimately, what this study’s findings highlight is that planning for a slow-moving, politically contentious issue like sea-level rise, one that doesn’t have the immediacy of a wildfire or an earthquake, is complex and constantly evolving.—
Marcos Magaña,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And part of that is when Tru came in the game, both offensively and defensively — his way of sparking us and just having active hands and playing in the passing lanes.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
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Many rigorous studies show that these ads can benefit patients’ health by encouraging them to seek lifesaving treatment for conditions such as depression and heart disease and sparking conversations with their doctors.—
Anna Chorniy,
The Conversation,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Released in November 2023, the track quickly became a cultural phenomenon, propelling the Mexican American singer-songwriter to prominence by early 2024.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 2026
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Those boosters and the Vulcan's own main booster eventually separated from the upper-stage, known as Centaur V, which used its two engines to continue propelling the payload to about 22,000 miles high.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Actuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actuating. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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