enable

[ en-ey-buhl ]

/ ɛnˈeɪ bəl /

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See synonyms for: enable / enabled / enables / enabling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), en·a·bled, en·a·bling.

to make able; give power, means, competence, or ability to: 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.

to make possible or easy: Aeronautics enables us to overcome great distances.

to encourage or support (the bad or dysfunctional behavior) of (someone): 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.

Digital Technology.

to make (a device, system, or feature) active or functional; turn on: The automatic snapshot feature is enabled by default.
to equip for an extended, peripheral, or premium use: to enable your laptop for wireless internet access.

OTHER WORDS FOR enable

1 empower, qualify, allow, permit.

See synonyms for enable on Thesaurus.com

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of enable

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English; see en-¹, able

OTHER WORDS FROM enable

en·a·bler, nounpre·en·a·ble, verb (used with object), pre·en·a·bled, pre·en·a·bling.

Words nearby enable

emu oil, emu parade, emu-wren, EMV, en, enable, enabled, enabler, enabling, enabling act, enact

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enable in a sentence

As your product evolves, you can enable different modules from the plugin marketplace.
Datadog to acquire application security management platform Sqreen|Romain Dillet|February 12, 2021|TechCrunch
Vaccine tourism also has the potential to exacerbate the socioeconomic and racial inequalities that have persisted during the pandemic, enabling the rich and privileged to gain access to life-saving vaccines ahead of everyone else.
Don’t hate the vaccine tourists, hate the vaccine game|Jen Kirby|February 12, 2021|Vox
They want to enable us to perfectly save and relive our favorite memories.
New technology can get inside your head. Are you ready?|Laura Sanders|February 11, 2021|Science News For Students
It enabled them to decipher contracts, build businesses, engage in politics and influence social issues that affected their lives.
My great-grandmother Ida B. Wells left a legacy of activism in education. We need that now.|Michelle Duster|February 11, 2021|Washington Post

Access to the internet, having an internet-enabled device and understanding how to use both have been necessary to sign up for the vaccine.
One big hiccup in US efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines? Poor internet access.|By Tamra Burns Loeb, Et Al./The Conversation|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
“There was great reception,” Drew jokes, adding that perhaps he and his girlfriend, a fellow workaholic, enable each other.
How the Property Brothers Became Your Mom’s Favorite TV Stars|Kevin Fallon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, beyond tasting good, these chips make great platforms—the deep ridges enable them to hold dips effectively.
The Latest in High-Tech Chips||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nonviolent subjects were easier to rule and more likely to provide the revenue and manpower that would enable further conquest.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot|Nick Romeo|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even if their oxygen masks had deployed, there is a microphone in the masks to enable them to send a distress call.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And do we not yearn to do as they did: enable America to “find its ‘greatness’ again”?
Embodying Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Remains a Vital Challenge|Harvey J. Kaye|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a rule, however, even in the case of extreme varieties, a careful examination of the specimen will enable it to be identified.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
He had, however, recovered sufficiently to enable him to act with promptitude and discretion.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Relieved when she entered, she was again struck with fear when Phœbe Chiffinch had come near enough to enable her to see her face.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The great abilities which enable a man to win and hold such a position as his fired my fancy.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
At length he thought of “Cattle” as a figure word to enable him to remember the number.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for enable

enable

/ (ɪnˈeɪbəl) /

verb (tr)

to provide (someone) with adequate power, means, opportunity, or authority (to do something)

to make possible

to put (a digital electronic circuit element) into an operative condition by supplying a suitable input pulse

Derived forms of enable

enablement, nounenabler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

enable

OTHER WORDS FOR enable

Origin of enable

OTHER WORDS FROM enable

Words nearby enable

Words related to enable

How to use enable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enable

Derived forms of enable