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
Shut off
Shut off verb - To cause to stop functioning.
Usage example: shut off the computer to save electricity
Both terms in one sentence
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There is a mission in Borderlands which requires the player to activate several wind turbines which have been shut off ("Braking Wind").
Source: Wind Turbine Power -
The trio try to activate the emergency shut off, but before Dipper can push the Big Red Button, Stan appears, pleading with them not to turn it off.
Cite this Source
Shut off and Activate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/shut_off
Activate & Shut off. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/shut_off>.
Shut off or Activate. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/activate/shut_off.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "activate" and "shut off" have occurred on timeline