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
Its modular design allows operators to quickly reconfigure the turret with new sensors or weapon systems, enabling fast adaptation to evolving mission requirements and emerging threats.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2025
Over the weekend, the ARK Invest CEO suggested the financial system that’s enabling the pushback against it is the one with the problem, not the company that wants to make the world’s richest man richer by such a magnitude.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
The study, which was done in living yeast cells and human cell lines, illustrates how proteins act collectively by forming a crystal that gathers caspases together to activate the cell death program and enable the cell to make a rapid life-or-death decision.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
Macy’s chose China Grove for the facility due to its position in the Southeast near major thoroughfares, enabling faster, more efficient service to millions of customers.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
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Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2025
Over the weekend, the ARK Invest CEO suggested the financial system that’s enabling the pushback against it is the one with the problem, not the company that wants to make the world’s richest man richer by such a magnitude.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
The study, which was done in living yeast cells and human cell lines, illustrates how proteins act collectively by forming a crystal that gathers caspases together to activate the cell death program and enable the cell to make a rapid life-or-death decision.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
Macy’s chose China Grove for the facility due to its position in the Southeast near major thoroughfares, enabling faster, more efficient service to millions of customers.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 20 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2025.
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