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
Two subwoofers can also enable each unit to operate at a lower volume with less strain, increasing the system’s headroom.
—
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
According to the Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, this enabled Lambert and Buck to enter the home while Hazel was gone.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
This will go on and the president has enabled this sordid story to have legs through the summer.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 2 Aug. 2025
In addition to enabling corruption and exacerbating discrimination, aldermanic privilege also can simply enable bad policy — or block the adoption of good law.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 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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Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
According to the Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, this enabled Lambert and Buck to enter the home while Hazel was gone.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025
This will go on and the president has enabled this sordid story to have legs through the summer.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 2 Aug. 2025
In addition to enabling corruption and exacerbating discrimination, aldermanic privilege also can simply enable bad policy — or block the adoption of good law.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 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 7 Aug. 2025.
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