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
By partnering with providers that share their eco-conscious values, Guide to Iceland enables travelers to explore responsibly.
—
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Calmer winds enabled firefighters to start gaining some control of the biggest blazes in metropolitan Los Angeles on Friday before gusty weather returns over the weekend to an area that hasn't seen rain in more than eight months.
—Manuel Valdes, Julie Watson, John Seewer and Heather Hollingsworth The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025
The projection engine puts out 4K imagery from 40 to 300 diagonal inches, while the RGB triple-laser light source is reported capable of 3,000 ISO lumens and enables coverage of 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2025
Its standards and tools enable businesses to align their goals with the global effort to limit warming to well below 2°C, and ideally 1.5°C, to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enable 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Calmer winds enabled firefighters to start gaining some control of the biggest blazes in metropolitan Los Angeles on Friday before gusty weather returns over the weekend to an area that hasn't seen rain in more than eight months.
—Manuel Valdes, Julie Watson, John Seewer and Heather Hollingsworth The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 11 Jan. 2025
The projection engine puts out 4K imagery from 40 to 300 diagonal inches, while the RGB triple-laser light source is reported capable of 3,000 ISO lumens and enables coverage of 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut.
—Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2025
Its standards and tools enable businesses to align their goals with the global effort to limit warming to well below 2°C, and ideally 1.5°C, to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 Jan. 2025
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 21 Jan. 2025.
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