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
Beyond its software and electromechanical systems, the robot relied on flexible, skin-like structural components that enabled smoother motion and a more human-like physical presence.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
In 2018, Microsoft deployed a submarine-like data center 117 feet below sea level to take advantage of the cooling benefits of seawater and tidal power to enable the project to be powered fully by renewable energy.
—April Roach, CNBC, 29 Dec. 2025
The Jones campaign says the ad falsely leads viewers to believe that Jones enabled government to take land through eminent domain to help support his family's interest in a massive data center development in Jones' home county south of Atlanta.
—CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors say the malware was designed to erase itself after each operation, complicating forensic analysis and enabling the group to replicate the scheme across multiple jurisdictions.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
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Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
In 2018, Microsoft deployed a submarine-like data center 117 feet below sea level to take advantage of the cooling benefits of seawater and tidal power to enable the project to be powered fully by renewable energy.
—April Roach, CNBC, 29 Dec. 2025
The Jones campaign says the ad falsely leads viewers to believe that Jones enabled government to take land through eminent domain to help support his family's interest in a massive data center development in Jones' home county south of Atlanta.
—CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors say the malware was designed to erase itself after each operation, complicating forensic analysis and enabling the group to replicate the scheme across multiple jurisdictions.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Dec. 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 30 Dec. 2025.
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