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
Deeper Emotional Insights: BCIs could measure emotional responses to campaigns, enabling marketers to fine-tune their strategies based on real-time feedback.
—
Jason Snyder, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
This organic growth has enabled the company to scale without relying on traditional advertising.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
The discovery was enabled by a citizen science website called Happywhale.com that allows professional biologists and casual whale watchers alike to upload photographs of a whale’s tale, also known as its fluke.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
This belief enabled aggrieved men to see themselves as a class and a constituency for the first time.
—Theresa Iker / Made By History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
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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Jason Snyder, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
This organic growth has enabled the company to scale without relying on traditional advertising.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
The discovery was enabled by a citizen science website called Happywhale.com that allows professional biologists and casual whale watchers alike to upload photographs of a whale’s tale, also known as its fluke.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
This belief enabled aggrieved men to see themselves as a class and a constituency for the first time.
—Theresa Iker / Made By History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for enable
Dictionary Entries Near enable
Cite this Entry
“Enable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enable. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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