as in to trigger
to cause to function
the thermostat is set to activate the heating system only when the temperature drops below 65 degrees
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of activate
Simply attach it to a car seat or stroller, so little hands can pull on it to activate the Purple Monkey Song.
—
Pamela Brill, Parents, 22 May 2025
When those drills had activated on the day of the blast, one of their motors had created a spark.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Calculate your target income, package your services, structure your client portfolio, create your professional presence, and activate your network.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Leave a comment View Comments During her residency, Ernst created a new design for the library’s display window, a gold and blush Phoenix gown with feathers that rise and fall, activated by passersby who place their hands up to a panel on the window.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Pamela Brill, Parents, 22 May 2025
When those drills had activated on the day of the blast, one of their motors had created a spark.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Calculate your target income, package your services, structure your client portfolio, create your professional presence, and activate your network.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Leave a comment View Comments During her residency, Ernst created a new design for the library’s display window, a gold and blush Phoenix gown with feathers that rise and fall, activated by passersby who place their hands up to a panel on the window.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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Even minutes of downtime can erode market trust, invite regulatory scrutiny and trigger systemic consequences.—
Srikanth Bellamkonda,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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Now that anxiety has triggered an official backlash.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Then May 30’s Sun-Mercury conjunction in Gemini could spark a moment of insight or an invitation that clarifies what path to follow next.—
Colin Bedell,
Them.,
22 May 2025
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Her disappearance sparked a weeks-long search that concluded on Thanksgiving Day that year, when a passing motorist spotted Papini alongside the highway — partially bound, injured and with a brand on her shoulder.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Much of the innovation that drives societal progress and economic productivity does not emerge from revolutions in thought, but from the subtle extension and application of existing knowledge.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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During my visit, Leal and I drove in his vintage Jeep to 1900 Barker, a coffee shop on Lawrence’s main drag.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Verb
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At 43, this might look like a driver nearing the twilight of his career; the undeniable talent behind the wheel that powered him to two world titles, and within a handful of points of another three, finally starting to wane.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Meanwhile, Blue Origin inked a deal with United Launch Alliance to supply a version of its New Glenn main engine to power that company's Vulcan rocket.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Verb
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That research also generated more than $94.5 billion in new economic activity nationwide, according to United for Medical Research, a coalition of research groups and advocates.—
Katheryn Houghton,
NPR,
26 May 2025
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In the fifth, the Dodgers generated their best chance against Senga … only for the right-hander to induce a two-out grounder from Smith that ended the threat.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Verb
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If the execution moves forward this time, Smith will be the first inmate executed in Tennessee since 2020 and the 19th in the U.S. this year.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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By all accounts, seeing the interior of the home is a moving experience.—
Maurice Carlos Ruffin,
Time,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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