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
Implement Anonymous Surveys Move beyond annual engagement surveys and implement anonymous pulse surveys that enable real-time analysis.
—
Kerri Sutey, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
On the farm, poor sanitation enabled cows and dairy workers to introduce tuberculosis, typhoid, and other pathogens into milk.
— Made By History, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
This enabled them to devise a phase diagram of what happens to the sauce as the conditions change.
—ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
Apple’s AirPlay feature enables iPhones and Macbooks to seamlessly play music or show photos and videos on other Apple devices or third-party speakers and TVs that integrate the protocol.
—Lily Hay Newman, Wired News, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Kerri Sutey, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
On the farm, poor sanitation enabled cows and dairy workers to introduce tuberculosis, typhoid, and other pathogens into milk.
— Made By History, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
This enabled them to devise a phase diagram of what happens to the sauce as the conditions change.
—ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
Apple’s AirPlay feature enables iPhones and Macbooks to seamlessly play music or show photos and videos on other Apple devices or third-party speakers and TVs that integrate the protocol.
—Lily Hay Newman, Wired News, 29 Apr. 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 13 May. 2025.
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