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 technologies available that would enable a full platform transition (hypervisor and storage) or a partial transition (keep the VMware hypervisor, but move to alternative storage).
—
Bruce Kornfeld, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
And this summer, the calculations have been further complicated by FIFA allowing an additional, earlier short summer window to enable clubs competing in the upcoming Club World Cup to bolster their squads before the tournament.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 16 June 2025
By 2001, Marlena had been approved for a low-income housing voucher, enabling the sisters – and their mom – to move into a five-bedroom home.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 16 June 2025
United States Supreme Court appointments from the previous Trump administration have resulted in decisions that enabled roughly half of US states to severely restrict or ban abortions.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 16 June 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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Bruce Kornfeld, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
And this summer, the calculations have been further complicated by FIFA allowing an additional, earlier short summer window to enable clubs competing in the upcoming Club World Cup to bolster their squads before the tournament.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 16 June 2025
By 2001, Marlena had been approved for a low-income housing voucher, enabling the sisters – and their mom – to move into a five-bedroom home.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 16 June 2025
United States Supreme Court appointments from the previous Trump administration have resulted in decisions that enabled roughly half of US states to severely restrict or ban abortions.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 16 June 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 22 Jun. 2025.
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