Meaning & use
activations
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“activations” is a form of “activation”.
Meanings
nouncountable
The acts of making something start working or become active, especially machines, systems, or chemical processes.
Grammar: Countable; used mainly in technical or formal writing. The singular is 'activation'.
Patterns
- the activation of something
- multiple activations
- activation of a system
The engineer recorded the activations of all the backup generators during the test.
Repeated activations of the alarm system drained the battery.
The report listed the activations of each emergency protocol.
nouncountablecomputingtechnical
In computing, the points at which a function or process is triggered or set in motion.
Grammar: Technical; usually plural in this sense. Often appears in phrases like 'neural activations'.
Patterns
- neural activations
- function activations
- the activations of a model
The software logs all activations of the security module.
Researchers studied the activations in the neural network to understand its decisions.
Too many activations at once can slow down the processor.
Word forms
| singular | activation |
|---|
Common combinations
- neural activations
- The team analyzed the neural activations to see which images the model recognized.
- activations of a system
- The log shows the activations of the system over the past week.
- repeated activations
- Repeated activations of the switch caused it to wear out.
- record activations
- The device can record activations automatically.
Synonyms and how they differ
- triggers
- Focuses on the event that starts something, while 'activations' often refers to the process or result of starting.
- starts
- More general and everyday; 'activations' is more technical and suggests a system or mechanism.
Opposites
Word family
- activate verb
- To make something start working.
- activation noun
- The singular form; the act of making something active.
- activated adjective
- Having been made active or started.
Commonly confused: activations or activations vs. actions?
activations vs activations vs. actions
'Activations' refers to starting something up, while 'actions' are simply things that are done. They sound similar but mean different things.
Practice
The technician checked the _____ of the backup system after the power failure.
Choose one answer.
'Activations' fits because it refers to the process of a system starting up. 'Actions' would mean things done, not the starting of a system. 'Activities' and 'actors' do not relate to starting a machine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “activations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.