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activate: Meaning and Definition of
ac•ti•vate
Pronunciation: (ak'tu-v?t"), [key] ? -vat•ed, -vat•ing.
- to make active; cause to function or act.
- to activate a molecule.
- to render more reactive; excite:to activate a molecule.
- to induce radioactivity.
- to aerate (sewage) in order to accelerate decomposition of impure organic matter by microorganisms.
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- to make (carbon, a catalyst, molecules, etc.) more active.
- to hasten (reactions) by various means, as heating.
- to place (a military unit or station) on an active status in an assigned capacity.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.