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
There are reasons why certain coaches can establish a culture and a mindset that endures, and enables their players to shrug off those adverse moments and carry on.
—
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 Sep. 2025
The viewfinders, designed to alleviate red-green colorblindness, have special lenses to enable people with colorblindness to see a broad range of clear, vibrant colors, a statement said.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Just a few years earlier, SnapPy had vastly expanded its database, enabling it to identify nearly 60,000 unique knots.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
SpaceX's inventory of Falcon 9 rockets has enabled the Space Force to move closer to realizing on-demand launch services.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
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Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 Sep. 2025
The viewfinders, designed to alleviate red-green colorblindness, have special lenses to enable people with colorblindness to see a broad range of clear, vibrant colors, a statement said.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Just a few years earlier, SnapPy had vastly expanded its database, enabling it to identify nearly 60,000 unique knots.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
SpaceX's inventory of Falcon 9 rockets has enabled the Space Force to move closer to realizing on-demand launch services.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2025.
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