"activates" in the verb sense
1. trip, actuate, trigger, activate, set off, spark off, spark, trigger off, touch off
put in motion or move to act
"trigger a reaction"
"actuate the circuits"
2. activate
make active or more active
"activate an old file"
3. activate
make more adsorptive
"activate a metal"
4. activate, aerate
aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that decompose organic matter
5. activate
make (substances) radioactive
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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