verb
-
to put into action or mechanical motion
-
to motivate or incite into action
actuated by unworthy desires
Other Word Forms
- actuation noun
- actuator noun
- deactuate verb (used with object)
- self-actuating adjective
- unactuated adjective
Etymology
Origin of actuate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin āctuāt(us) “reduced to action” (past participle of āctuāre ), equivalent to Latin āctu(s) ( act ) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To actuate is to put into motion. The "act" in actuate can remind you of this word's meaning — to put into action. A lever might actuate a pump, or malice might actuate a crime. Coming to us from the Latin word actus, which means "to act," actuate's meaning is simpler than it sounds — it just means to set in motion or activate some kind of motion. Think of one of those complex Rube Goldberg mouse traps; you know, the one where the boot kicks the ball that drops on the plank that tips over the ladder which rings a bell that cracks an egg that knocks over the cage onto the unsuspecting mouse. The boot actuates the whole shebang.
Vocabulary lists containing actuate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another, called a McKibben actuator, is pneumatically driven and requires an air compressor to actuate.
From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023
You need to press them 1.9mm before they actuate, compared to 1.2mm for Cherry MX Speed Silver, for example.
From The Verge • Mar. 18, 2022
"My task was to design the means of allowing a customer, and only a genuine customer, to actuate the dispenser mechanism," he said.
From BBC • Oct. 7, 2016
Screens were mostly resistive, that is, hard to actuate with a tap.
From Forbes • Apr. 25, 2011
In the chapter on Electrical inventions reference is made to the mighty power of Niagara used to actuate a great number of electrical and other machines of vast power.
From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
