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
Digital platforms, including mobile apps, chatbots and social media, can enable companies to engage with customers in real time and provide instant responses to queries and concerns.
—
Naeem Ghauri, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Treasury remains committed to disrupting the schemes that enable Iran to send its deadly weapons abroad to its terrorist proxies and other destabilizing actors.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Both are based on the same GPU die—the 9070 has 56 of the chip's compute units enabled, while the 9070 XT has 64.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
The bill still allows loopholes that could enable inappropriate development and does not extend protections to state forests and wildlife management areas.
—Haley Busch, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Naeem Ghauri, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Treasury remains committed to disrupting the schemes that enable Iran to send its deadly weapons abroad to its terrorist proxies and other destabilizing actors.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Both are based on the same GPU die—the 9070 has 56 of the chip's compute units enabled, while the 9070 XT has 64.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
The bill still allows loopholes that could enable inappropriate development and does not extend protections to state forests and wildlife management areas.
—Haley Busch, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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