radioactivate

A scientist uses a machine to radioactivate a small sample.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make radioactive: "radioactivate" means to cause a substance to become radioactive, typically by exposing it to radiation or bombarding it with particles.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Scientists use a neutron source to radioactivate samples for analysis. (To make the samples radioactive for testing.)
  • The process can radioactivate certain metals, turning them into isotopes. (To transform metals into radioactive forms.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be radioactivated": to have been made radioactive.

  • The material was radioactivated after exposure to a nuclear reactor. (The material became radioactive following exposure.)

• "radioactivated tracer": a substance that has been made radioactive and is used to track chemical or biological processes.

  • Doctors inject a radioactivated tracer into the patient to image the organs. (A radioactive substance used for medical imaging.)

Variants and Related Words

• Radioactivation (n): the process of making something radioactive.

  • The radioactivation of the sample took several hours. (The process of inducing radioactivity.)

• Radioactive (adj): emitting radiation due to the decay of atomic nuclei.

  • The lab handles radioactive materials with extreme care. (Materials that emit radiation.)

Synonyms

• Activate: to make something active or operational (in a general sense, not specific to radioactivity).
• Irradiate: to expose to radiation, which can lead to radioactivation.

Phrasal Verbs

• Radioactivate up: (rare, technical) to increase the level of radioactivity in a substance.
  • The technicians radioactivated up the sample to enhance detection. (Increased its radioactivity.)

Related Idioms

• No common idioms: "radioactivate" is a technical term and does not appear in idiomatic expressions.