activate.
To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate.
Meaning & usage
To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate.
activate the economy
To put a device, mechanism (alarm etc.) or system into action or motion; to trigger, to actuate, to set off, to enable.
The pranksters activated the fire alarm by spraying deodorant next to it.
To render more reactive; excite.
To render a molecule reactive, active, or effective in performing its function.
To render a substance radioactive.
To hasten a chemical reaction, especially by heating.
To remove the limitations of demoware by providing a license; to unlock.
To aerate in order to aid decomposition of organic matter.
To organize or create a military unit or station.
A new squadron was activated.
To bring a player back after an injury.
To enter an active state.
The burglar alarm activates automatically.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus ▲ Ancient Greek ἐνεργητῐκός (energētĭkós)sl. Latin āctīvusbor. Old French actifbor. Middle English actyf English active Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English activate From active + -ate.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.