as in stimulates
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
Mr. Clark animates history for his sixth graders by frequently showing up for class dressed like some famous historical figure
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Recent Examples of animates
Lincoln-Way Central coach Matt Small confirmed Vellenga’s high-wire act animates the entire team.
—
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The album thrives on the same balance of adolescent naivete and angst that animates foundational cloud rap releases like Lean’s Unknown Death 2002 and Lil B’s 6 Kiss.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Such an ideology animates Justine Bateman and her No AI Film Festival and many others in their camp.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Those experiences sparked enduring interest in a question that animates my work as a personality psychologist.
—Eranda Jayawickreme, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
In doing so, Jones gives the novel the same sense of inevitable tragedy that animates Wharton’s books.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
The charismatic and intense Kelce embodies and even animates the culture of the Andy Reid-era Chiefs, particularly as the sole remaining player from Reid’s 2013 inaugural team in Kansas City.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Ironically, bell-to-bell ban proponents like Britt-Friedman are also worried about children’s safety — but the danger that animates them is the phone itself.
—Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
This oscillation between panoramic distance and tactile proximity animates the forest as a sentient protagonist, one who occasionally addresses visitors in a woman’s voice.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The album thrives on the same balance of adolescent naivete and angst that animates foundational cloud rap releases like Lean’s Unknown Death 2002 and Lil B’s 6 Kiss.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Such an ideology animates Justine Bateman and her No AI Film Festival and many others in their camp.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Those experiences sparked enduring interest in a question that animates my work as a personality psychologist.
—Eranda Jayawickreme, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
In doing so, Jones gives the novel the same sense of inevitable tragedy that animates Wharton’s books.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
The charismatic and intense Kelce embodies and even animates the culture of the Andy Reid-era Chiefs, particularly as the sole remaining player from Reid’s 2013 inaugural team in Kansas City.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Ironically, bell-to-bell ban proponents like Britt-Friedman are also worried about children’s safety — but the danger that animates them is the phone itself.
—Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
This oscillation between panoramic distance and tactile proximity animates the forest as a sentient protagonist, one who occasionally addresses visitors in a woman’s voice.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animates
Verb
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Beta-glucan also stimulates the release of GLP-1 from the gut, sending hormonal signals of fullness to the brain.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
3 Apr. 2026
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This molecule directly stimulates bone-building cells, helping increase bone density and strength.—
Hadia Zainab,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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More than three devices is considered a cluster that arouses interest.—
Carolyn Forché,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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That intense scarcity arouses a FOMO among very wealthy car lovers that allows Ferrari to charge prices like $250,000 for one of its entry-level cars, and $3 million for a hypercar like its F80.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Animates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animates. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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