actuate
verb
ac·tu·ate
ˈak-chə-ˌwāt 
-shə-
actuated; actuating
1
: to put into mechanical action or motion
The pump is actuated by the windmill.
2
: to move to action
a decision actuated by greed
Examples of actuate in a Sentence
The pump is actuated by the windmill.
a light actuated by a motion detector
Recent Examples on the Web
Optical switches actuate via light rather than metal contacts.
—
Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Creating such complex structures combining soft and rigid features and actuating them with artificial muscles would further our understanding of natural kinematic structures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026
The robots respond differently depending on how researchers actuate them.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
With 265-front and 295-rear summer meat connecting them to the pavement, the CLE53 never felt lacking in this department, and the pedal was rather pleasant to actuate.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for actuate
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Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Creating such complex structures combining soft and rigid features and actuating them with artificial muscles would further our understanding of natural kinematic structures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Mar. 2026
The robots respond differently depending on how researchers actuate them.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
With 265-front and 295-rear summer meat connecting them to the pavement, the CLE53 never felt lacking in this department, and the pedal was rather pleasant to actuate.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for actuate
Cite this Entry
“Actuate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actuate. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actuate
verb
ac·tu·ate
ˈak-chə-ˌwāt
-shə-
actuated; actuating
1
: to put into action
the windmill actuates the pump
2
: to arouse to action
actuated by the hope of winning
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