Word.ws English Dictionary

activation phrase

activation phrase noun: a phrase that triggers a person into doing a specific action upon hearing it. Used to joke about niche internet quotes or memes that may trigger an immediate reaction of some sort. Also known as a trigger phrase. Associated with the idea of a "Sleeper Agent".

Noun

activation phrase (plural activation phrases)

  1. (Internet, humorous) A phrase that triggers a person into doing a specific action upon hearing it. Used to joke about niche internet quotes or memes that may trigger an immediate reaction of some sort. Also known as a trigger phrase. Associated with the idea of a "Sleeper Agent"
    • ...Over the following years, the term became increasingly popularized and was particularly used to respond to tweets that featured slang overload.2011, Wait... was that my sleeper-agent activation phrase? Am I supposed to kidnap Amy Winehouse now?
    • “Gentlemen, thank you once again for saving this nation.” “Slloosh garg blurrg.” “I don't speak googa. The CIA only taught me your activation phrase. But if I could say anything... I'd say give America one more chance.” “Kalaak 'ha benben prilo garg.” “Oh, my God, they're gonna fight. Th-They're...2021 July 25, James Siciliano, “Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular” (21:30 from the start), in Rick and Morty, season 5, episode 6, spoken by President Andre Curtis (Keith David)

Forms of activation phrase

pluralactivation phrases
alternative formActivation Phrase

Questions about activation phrase

What does activation phrase mean?
Activation phrase means a phrase that triggers a person into doing a specific action upon hearing it. Used to joke about niche internet quotes or memes that may trigger an immediate reaction of some sort. Also known as a trigger phrase. Associated with the idea of a "Sleeper Agent".
What part of speech is activation phrase?
Activation phrase is a noun.
What is the plural of activation phrase?
The plural of activation phrase is activation phrases.

Words near activation phrase in the dictionary

  1. activation analysis
  2. activation energies
  3. activation energy
  4. activation function
  5. activation functions
  6. activation phrase
  7. activation phrases
  8. activation record
  9. activation records
  10. activation syndrome
  11. activational

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: activation phrase (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “activation phrase.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/activation_phrase. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.