Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: CHEMISTRY

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: activus, from agere; ACT1

active

1 adjective
     
ac‧tive1 S2 W2
1DS

busy

always busy doing things, especially physical activities [≠ inactive]:
games for active youngsters
She's over 80, but is still very active.
active life/lifestyle
My father always led a very active life.
active mind/imagination
a child with a very active imagination
2

involved

involved in an organization or activity and doing lots of practical things to achieve your aims:
He became politically active at college.
be active in (doing) something
The Bureau is active in promoting overseas investment.
take/play an active part/role in something
Encourage students to take an active part in discussions.
She took an active interest in local charities.
active participation/involvement
the importance of active participation by elderly people in the life of the community
We're taking active steps (=doing practical things) to deal with the problem.
We maintain active links with other European universities.
3

functioning

operating in a way that is normal or expected [≠ inactive]:
The virus is active even at low temperatures.
4

doing something

doing something regularly:
5

volcano

an active volcano is likely to explode at any time:
The volcano became active last year with a series of eruptions.
6

grammar

SLG an active verb or sentence has the person or thing doing the action as its subject. In 'The boy kicked the ball', the verb 'kick' is active ➔ passive1 (2)
7HC

chemical

producing a chemical reaction:
nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco
—actively adverb:
Carol was actively involved in the local sports club.
Definition of active from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic CHEMISTRY
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