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# activate

verb (activate, activates, activated, activating)

«activate» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To activate something is to make it start working, like a machine, alarm or account. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#m1)
2. (science) To activate a process or chemical is to make it start or become active. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used about alarms, cards, accounts, apps, buttons, games and science (yeast is activated by warm water). In instructions: «Press to activate».

### Examples

- The smoke activated the fire alarm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x1)
- Press the red button to activate the robot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x2)
- You need to activate your new library card. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x3)
- Warm water activates the yeast in bread. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x4)
- The trap is activated when someone steps on it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x5)
- Sunlight activates the solar lamp. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x6)
- The hero activated the shield just in time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb. Noun: «activation». Opposite: «deactivate», «switch off». More formal than «turn on» or «start».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «activate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/activate/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«activate» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/activate.html) on Mova free.