enabled; enabling
i-ˈnā-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to provide with the means or opportunity
training that enables people to earn a living
b
: to make possible, practical, or easy
a deal that would enable passage of a new law
c
: to cause to operate
software that enables the keyboard
2
: to give legal power, capacity, or sanction to
a law enabling admission of a state
Did you know?
Enabling: The Behavior of an Enabler
Enable has a number of senses, most of which are some variant on allowing someone (or something, such as enabling cookies on a computer) to do something. In the past several decades, enable has also started to take on a new associated sense in the field of addiction studies, where enabling is viewed as giving misguided support to a person with some substance-abuse issue. A person who facilitates the self-destructive behavior of another is referred to as an enabler.
Examples of enable in a Sentence
The machine enables us to create copies without losing quality.
The system enables students to access class materials online.
These choices are part of what enabled the company to be successful.
a filing system that enables easy access to information
Be sure to enable your computer's firewall.
Recent Examples on the Web
Offshore and domestic trusts can be structured to enable generational transfer while preserving legal separation.
—
Blake Harris, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Tapo app detects motion and enables you to set activity zones and privacy zones.
—Parker Hall, Wired News, 10 July 2025
Full subscription of the retail offer would raise an additional 1.2 million pounds, which will be used to drive the business and enable Baldo’s turnaround plan.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 10 July 2025
There’s a fine line between compatibility and codependency, having compassion for another person’s failings and enabling them.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Blake Harris, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Tapo app detects motion and enables you to set activity zones and privacy zones.
—Parker Hall, Wired News, 10 July 2025
Full subscription of the retail offer would raise an additional 1.2 million pounds, which will be used to drive the business and enable Baldo’s turnaround plan.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 10 July 2025
There’s a fine line between compatibility and codependency, having compassion for another person’s failings and enabling them.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
Cite this Entry
“Enable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enable. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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