Dictionary Entry
actuate
Part of SpeechverbPronunciation/ˈæktju.eɪt/Word FrequencyUncommon (2.85)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)To activate, or to put into motion; to animate.
In a Sentence
“The lever was designed to actuate the emergency brake.”
Published Usage Examples
“Not only does he have excellent medical credentials but he fits what Obama wants in someone who has the ability to "actuate" change.”
“What's worse, the Storm2's implementation requires a surprising amount of effort to actuate, meaning that long messages were a chore to type out -- not only do they wear out your fingers, but it gets old hearing the screen's loud "thunk" each and every time you type a letter, which we find considerably more noticeable”
This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 12 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.
Origin
From Latin 'actuare' meaning 'to put in motion'.
Common Phrases
Antonyms
No antonyms yet.
Related Words
Poetry examples for “actuate”
Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.
Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.