Library / English Dictionary

ACTIVATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make active or more active

Example:

activate an old file

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "activate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "activate"):

reactivate (activate (an old file) anew)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

inactivate (make inactive)

Derivation:

activation (making active and effective (as a bomb))

activator ((biology) any agency bringing about activation; a molecule that increases the activity of an enzyme or a protein that increases the production of a gene product in DNA transcription)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make (substances) radioactive

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "activate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

activation (stimulation of activity in an organism or chemical)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that decompose organic matter

Synonyms:

activate; aerate

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "activate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

activation (stimulation of activity in an organism or chemical)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Make more adsorptive

Example:

activate a metal

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "activate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

activation (stimulation of activity in an organism or chemical)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Put in motion or move to act

Example:

actuate the circuits

Synonyms:

activate; actuate; set off; spark; spark off; touch off; trigger; trigger off; trip

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "activate" is one way to...):

initiate; pioneer (take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of)

Cause:

come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

activation (stimulation of activity in an organism or chemical)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A measurement of the resistance in the anticoagulation response to activated protein C in a biological specimen.

(Activated Protein C Resistance Measurement, NCI Thesaurus)

A cell that acts in a similar manner to a cytotoxic T cell and must be activated like a cytotoxic T cell.

(Activated Natural Killer Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

Last month, January 3, 2020, you started the New Year with Mars activating the same tenth house of prestigious career advancement.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

MILs are harvested from autologous bone marrow from multiple myeloma patients and, in vitro, are exposed to and activated by anti-CD3/anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies covalently attached to super-paramagnetic microbeads.

(Activated Marrow Infiltrating Lymphocytes, NCI Thesaurus)

Activated RNA polymerase II transcriptional coactivator p15 (127aa, ~14 kDa) is encoded by the human SUB1 gene.

(Activated RNA Polymerase II Transcriptional Coactivator p15, NCI Thesaurus)

A white blood cell, differentiated in the thymus, activated by an antigen that causes the cell to preferentially migrate to the skin.

(Activated Skin-Homing T-Lymphocyte, NCI Thesaurus)

The most common of these activating events were observed in the RTK Flt3, in N-Ras and K-Ras, in Kit, and sporadically in other RTKs.

(Acute Myeloid Leukemia Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

MEK inhibitor AZD8330 specifically inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK or MAP/ERK kinase1), resulting in inhibition of growth factor-mediated cell signaling and tumor cell proliferation.

(MEK Inhibitor AZD8330, NCI Thesaurus)

MEK inhibitor GDC-0623 specifically inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK or MAP/ERK kinase), resulting in inhibition of growth factor-mediated cell signaling and tumor cell proliferation.

(MEK Inhibitor GDC-0623, NCI Thesaurus)

A topical lotion containing the small organic molecule protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor menadione (vitamin K3) with potential EGFR- and ErbB2/HER2-activating activities.

(Menadione Topical Lotion, NCI Thesaurus)