facilitate

verb

fa·​cil·​i·​tate fə-ˈsi-lə-ˌtāt 

facilitated; facilitating; facilitates

transitive verb

: to make (something) easier

programs that facilitate access to health care

: such as

a

: to help bring (something) about

His campaign emphasized a variety of ways the federal government could help facilitate economic growth …

—Mead Gruver

Over the past two decades, the city has explored and made attempts to facilitate development of affordable housing on city-owned lots downtown.

—Ryan Stanton

b

: to help (something, such as a discussion) run more smoothly and effectively

The meeting included the full accountability team formed by the university, and the university facilitated the meeting, … sharing progress on initiatives underway …

—Kayla Lasure

facilitative

fə-ˈsi-lə-ˌtā-tiv 

adjective

Did you know?

English isn’t always easy, but the origin of facilitate is nothing but: the word traces back to the Latin adjective facilis, meaning "easy." Other descendants of facilis in English include facile ("easy to do"), facility ("the quality of being easily performed"), faculty ("ability"), and difficult (from dis- plus facilis, which equals "not easy"). English isn’t the only Latin-influenced language that has facilis to thank for "easy" words: the word for "easy" is fácil in both Spanish and Portuguese, and facile in both Italian and French. The way that facilitating something makes it "easy" (or "easier," as it were) can be likened to paving a road to make traveling to one’s destination smoother. Similarly, when we say, for example, that applying a healthy layer of mulch around the base of a newly planted tree facilitates robust growth, we mean that it (figuratively) paves the way for, or brings about, the sapling’s success.

Synonyms

• ease
• grease
• loosen (up)
• smooth
• unclog

Examples of facilitate in a Sentence

The strength of the inner identities that black women forged and nurtured during slavery facilitated the transition to freedom. —Darlene Clark Hine, Lure and Loathing, 1993

What physical events might have facilitated the evolution of macroscopic animals? —Andrew H. Knoll, Scientific American, October 1991

Nothing so facilitates writing as actually having something to say, yet the conditions under which, and the tools with which, writing is done can contribute to facility—or to difficulty. —Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether, 1983

Cutting taxes may facilitate economic recovery.

Her rise to power was facilitated by her influential friends.

The moderator's role is to facilitate the discussion by asking appropriate questions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Companies can facilitate and encourage mentorship and knowledge-sharing programs that allow team members to share ideas and best practices and learn from each other. —Nick Leighton, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

There's not a lot of infrastructure south of us or north of us to facilitate a large flow of people, but what the last four years have shown is that more people are willing to try to cross this portion of the border. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

The organization facilitated over 700 business meetings, connecting more than 500 global and Indian content producers and distributors. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Nov. 2024

By comparison, then-candidate Joe Biden and his team signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate a transition of power in early September of 2020, before that year’s election took place. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Middle French faciliter "to make easy" (borrowed from Italian facilitare, verbal derivative of facilità facility) + -ate entry 4

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

facilitate

verb

fa·​cil·​i·​tate fə-ˈsil-ə-ˌtāt 

facilitated; facilitating

: to make easier

facilitation

-ˌsil-ə-ˈtā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

facilitate

transitive verb

fa·​cil·​i·​tate fə-ˈsil-ə-ˌtāt 

facilitated; facilitating

: to increase the likelihood, strength, or effectiveness of (as behavior or a response)

reflexes can be facilitated or inhibited

also : to lower the threshold for transmission of (an impulse)

Legal Definition

facilitate

transitive verb

fa·​cil·​i·​tate fə-ˈsi-lə-ˌtāt 

facilitated; facilitating

: to make easier : help bring about

a vehicle used to facilitate commission of the offense

facilitation

fə-ˌsi-lə-ˈtā-shən 

noun