Activate
Activate verb - To cause to function.
Usage example: the thermostat is set to activate the heating system only when the temperature drops below 65 degrees
Deactivate
Deactivate verb - To cause to stop functioning.
Usage example: deactivate the machine carefully, or you'll risk an electric shock
Activate is an antonym for deactivate.
Nearby Word: deactivating
Both words in one sentence
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Some are deadly and some are detector beams which activate or deactivate mechanisms.
Source: Video Game / G.I.F.T. -
Instead of shooting the lights to activate and deactivate certain blocks, they simply go on and off on their own.
Source: Video Game / Mega Man Rock Force - The villain redeems himself in a Take My Hand moment while trying to activate/deactivate the Forgotten Doomsday Device.
Source: Dueling Works / Film Animated
Cite this Source
Deactivate and Activate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/deactivate
Activate & Deactivate. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/deactivate>.
Deactivate or Activate. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/deactivate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "activate" and "deactivate" have occurred on timeline