Activate
v.capable, energeticprofessional
What it means
To put a system, process, or capacity into its working state.
Reach for it when describing the specific action that makes something begin operating
A pressure drop will activate the building's reserve pump.
Choose between these
6- everyday
start
you simply mean beginning operation
not when Start misses the idea of enabling a previously inactive function.
- everyday
switch on
a person directly turns on a device
not when Automatic or chemical processes are rarely switched on.
- warm
new energy or enthusiasm is brought to people or work
not when Energize is imprecise for a coded security function.
- professional
a feature becomes available for later use
not when Enabled equipment may remain idle until separately activated.
- professional
trigger
one event causes an immediate response
not when Trigger emphasizes causation and can suggest an unintended reaction.
- literary
set in motion
you want to stress the beginning of a larger sequence
not when This phrase is cumbersome for pressing one button.
Said against
3- deactivate
- disable
- halt
It naturally appears in
3- activate a feature
Administrators can activate a feature after the privacy review.
- activate the alarm
Smoke near either sensor will activate the alarm.
- activate automatically
The pathway lights activate automatically at dusk.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English verb sense: make active or operational opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.