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
With much of the world horrified by the USSR’s brutality, Eisenhower was furious that the British-French-Israeli offensive was both diverting international attention and handing Moscow a PR victory by enabling it to speak about Western aggression in the Middle East.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Unlike generative AI tools that are being popularized across wider industries, agentic AI systems are designed to achieve objectives through intelligent planning and reasoning, enabling systems to assess and react to threats.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
In August, Laporta’s board offered personal assets as backing to €7million in borrowings required to boost Barcelona’s SCL figure and enable them to register both Rashford and new goalkeeper Joan Garcia ahead of the new season.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
By building all assets in-engine, Desert Eclipse enables cross-platform storytelling — allowing actors, characters, environments and props to exist fluidly between film, gaming and immersive experiences.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
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Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Unlike generative AI tools that are being popularized across wider industries, agentic AI systems are designed to achieve objectives through intelligent planning and reasoning, enabling systems to assess and react to threats.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
In August, Laporta’s board offered personal assets as backing to €7million in borrowings required to boost Barcelona’s SCL figure and enable them to register both Rashford and new goalkeeper Joan Garcia ahead of the new season.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
By building all assets in-engine, Desert Eclipse enables cross-platform storytelling — allowing actors, characters, environments and props to exist fluidly between film, gaming and immersive experiences.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Nov. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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