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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of activate
With the sun conjunct Pluto in Aquarius, your transformative eighth house of intimacy, emotional bonds and shared resources is activated, bringing forth a catharsis of sorts.
—
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 21 Jan. 2025
Words shared in a partnership may unsettle your emotional equilibrium when the moon activates Mercury.
—USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2025
The Chargers activated cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Simi Fehoko from injured reserve Friday and designated them for return.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Burns Calories As a compound exercise, squats activate multiple muscles simultaneously.
—Laura Campedelli, Verywell Health, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for activate 
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 21 Jan. 2025
Words shared in a partnership may unsettle your emotional equilibrium when the moon activates Mercury.
—USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2025
The Chargers activated cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Simi Fehoko from injured reserve Friday and designated them for return.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Burns Calories As a compound exercise, squats activate multiple muscles simultaneously.
—Laura Campedelli, Verywell Health, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for activate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for activate
Verb
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The fire triggered a round of mandatory evacuations in the nearby areas of Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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Extensive Russian strikes in western Ukraine will likely trigger more NATO jets being scrambled in the near future.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging Southern California Edison’s equipment sparked the blaze.—
Marcio Jose Sanchez,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2025
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Within about an hour starting shortly after midnight Tuesday, three wildfires sparked in the Fallbrook and Bonsall areas.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On the night of the fire, Ford persuaded Anderson to drive him and another man to the house.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2025
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When Dawn did not return home that night, friends and family drove around the school campus looking for her, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported at the time.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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For decades, cosmologists assumed that this expansion was powered by a new entity in the universe, known as the inflaton.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
19 Jan. 2025
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Credit card debt, which powers much retail spending, reached $1.2 trillion, up 8.1% over previous year.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Elements partially generated by Adobe Firefly generative AI.—
Melissa Gray,
NPR,
26 Jan. 2025
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Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Senate Republicans are moving ahead quickly on Hegseth’s nomination despite an affidavit from his former sister-in-law obtained by Senate Democrats that accuses him of having an alcohol problem and being abusive to his ex-wife Samantha Hegseth.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2025
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The snow is moving east Tuesday, and is affecting coastal areas all the way to the Florida Panhandle and southern Carolinas.—
Andrew Freedman,
Axios,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near activate
Cite this Entry
“Activate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/activate. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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