1 [more active; most active] : doing things that require physical movement and energy
▪ We stay/keep active during the cold winter months by skiing and ice skating. ▪ Despite her age, she has been able to maintain her active [=busy] lifestyle. ▪ Cats are most active [=energetic, lively] at night. 2 [more active; most active] a : involved in the activities of a group or organization
▪ We are active members of our church. ▪ While many give money to the organization, only a few are active participants. : participating in an action or activity ▪ She was politically active as a volunteer for her state representative. — often + in ▪ They were active in the antiwar movement of the 1960s. ▪ active in women's causes
b : involving action or participation
▪ They take an active interest in their children's education. ▪ He has taken/played a more active role in the production of this album. 3 : marked by regular action or use
▪ the bank's active and inactive accounts ▪ He became sexually active [=he began having sex] at the age of 21. 4 of a volcano : likely to explode violently or produce fire and hot liquid rock : capable of erupting
▪ Most volcanoes on this island are still active but a few are inactive. 5 of a disease : becoming worse or continuing to have bad effects
▪ active tuberculosis ▪ The disease remains active throughout the patient's life. 6 : having a chemical effect especially on the body
▪ The medicine has two active ingredients. ▪ the active ingredient in/of marijuana 7 a US : involving service in the military as a main job
▪ After two years of active duty [=two years of being a full-time member of the military] she entered the reserves. ▪ She was on active duty for two years.
b : involving fighting in a war as a member of the military
▪ He saw no active service [=he did not fight in any battles] during his time in the army. ▪ He was on active service in three separate wars. ▪ soldiers returning home from active service 8 grammar a of a verb or voice : showing that the subject of a sentence is the one doing the action expressed by the verb
▪ “Picked” in “I picked the apples” is an active verb because it shows that the subject “I” is the one who picked the apples. ▪ “Hits” in “She hits the ball” is active, while “hit” in “The ball was hit” is passive. ◊The active voice is a way of writing or speaking that uses active verbs.
▪ The sentence “The birds are singing” is written in the active voice. — compare passive
b of a verb : expressing action rather than describing the state of something
▪ Words like “walk,” “sing,” and “eat” are active verbs. ▪ In the sentence “Look at this picture,” the verb “look” is active.