enable
Americanverb (used with object)
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enables,
present (3rd person singular)
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enabled,
past participle, past
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enabling
present participle
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to make able; give power, means, competence, or ability to: Students with vision impairments are enabled in the classroom with magnifiers and screen reader software.
This document will enable him to pass through the enemy lines unmolested.
Students with vision impairments are enabled in the classroom with magnifiers and screen reader software.
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to make possible or easy.
Aeronautics enables us to overcome great distances.
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to encourage or support (the bad or dysfunctional behavior) of (someone): You enable drug users when you shield them from the consequences of their actions.
The university enabled years of abuse by ignoring complaints against the coach.
You enable drug users when you shield them from the consequences of their actions.
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Digital Technology.
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to make (a device, system, or feature) active or functional; turn on.
The automatic snapshot feature is enabled by default.
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to equip for an extended, peripheral, or premium use.
to enable your laptop for wireless internet access.
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verb
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to provide (someone) with adequate power, means, opportunity, or authority (to do something)
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to make possible
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to put (a digital electronic circuit element) into an operative condition by supplying a suitable input pulse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enablesimple
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enablessimple
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have enabledperfect
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has enabledperfect
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am enablingprogressive
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are enablingprogressive
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is enablingprogressive
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have been enablingperfect progressive
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has been enablingperfect progressive
Past
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enabledsimple
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had enabledperfect
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was enablingprogressive
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were enablingprogressive
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had been enablingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enable
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English; see en- 1, able
Explanation
When you make something possible, you enable it. Your good grades might enable you to get into your first-choice college. And a great teacher enabled you to get such good grades. Enable has taken on the meaning of allowing or even helping someone continue to do something they really shouldn't. If your mother writes note after note to get you out of school for no good reason, she is enabling your habit of playing hooky. While you might think she's being cool, a therapist might call her an enabler and give her part of the blame.
Vocabulary lists containing enable
Vocabulary from "Community is the 'killer app' missing from virtual reality" by Dmitri Williams
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Vocabulary from the Second Presidential Debate: October 9, 2016
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Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A forced slowdown on AI spending could prove beneficial for the hyperscalers and enable them to shore up their balance sheets.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
“This historic investment will enable the construction of necessary and new housing on our campuses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
This extra capability could enable devices that operate faster, withstand interference more effectively, and consume substantially less electricity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
He advised consumers to keep devices updated and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
So we developed a software product called VTR— Virtual Tax Room—to enable these medium-size accounting firms to easily outsource tax returns.”
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
“It enables me to have some privacy over what I’m working on. And also over my life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
That enables them to operate unseen for longer periods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The researchers now hope to identify the specific molecular sensor that enables T cells to detect their physical environment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
It also enables the production of alloys which are highly resistant, notably to corrosion and heat, a boon for sectors such as aerospace as well as defence.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
There is a recursion here that is worth noting: like all proteins, DNA polymerase, the enzyme that enables DNA to replicate, is itself the product of a gene.*
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Rams’ offense was attempting to close out the team’s third consecutive victory with a first down that would have enabled them to run out the clock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
The third-phase beneficiaries of the AI buildout are companies whose revenues are enabled by the technology, such as software and IT services.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
Jo Caulfield, a contemporary of Brand's on the early noughties stand-up circuit, says she initially found him "utterly charming" but she sees that he was "enabled and nobody will say anything against it".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Prof. Bauer explains: "Instead, we used X-ray absorption spectroscopy, amongst other techniques. This method enabled us to investigate the immediate surroundings of the cobalt atoms."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
In addition to the ships themselves, Pizarro’s presence depended on the centralized political organization that enabled Spain to finance, build, staff, and equip the ships.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
One of the hotel directors even gave her a sewing machine, she says, enabling her to make a small income.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
The U.S. military says it has helped more than 3,000 commercial vessels transit the strait over the past six months, enabling Persian Gulf oil exports to surpass prewar levels in recent weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
She also accused Burch of providing Taylor resources for him “to appear ‘successful’” and accused Burch of enabling Taylor to conduct his “fraudulent enterprise and scheme.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
That means fostering investment, raising productivity and enabling wage growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Blessed be Thou ... for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this day.”
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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