MEANING
1. To cause a mechanism or device to operate.
2. To cause someone to act through a motive or influence.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- actuate a valve
- actuate a switch
On the page
A pressure sensor actuates the emergency valve.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- actuate
- Past tense
- actuated
- Past participle
- actuated
- Present participle
- actuating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- actuate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are actuating
- Present perfect
- have/has actuated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been actuating
- Past
- actuated
- Past continuous
- was/were actuating
- Past perfect
- had actuated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been actuating
- Future
- will actuate
- Future continuous
- will be actuating
- Future perfect
- will have actuated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been actuating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: actuate; actuates; actuated; actuated; actuating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: actuates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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