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Definition of "activate" []

  • To set in motion; make active or more active. (verb-transitive)
  • To organize or create (a military unit, for example): activate the National Guard. (verb-transitive)
  • To treat (sewage) with aeration and bacteria to aid decomposition. (verb-transitive)
  • Chemistry To accelerate a reaction in, as by heat. (verb-transitive)
  • Physics To make (a substance) radioactive. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "activate" in a sentence
  • "We have all seen Teppo activate from the blue line and drop in."
  • "He advised this outage is nationwide and NO-ONE call activate iPhones right now. 1-2+ hours not helpful! was the projected time of "repair"."
  • "More deeply, when coupled with emotion, labels activate something at the physical, sensation level."