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 predictable limitation would enable utilities to maintain investment grade credit ratings to better access capital at lower borrowing costs for customers,” Lynsey Paulo, a PG&E spokesperson, said in an e-mail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Binance, in a series of statements on X, said it had re-enabled withdrawals for bitcoin, ether and certain other digital currencies and would continue to enable more withdrawals in phases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
“When you’ve got competitive races, you’ve got a lot of money flowing into competitive races, and I think that perfect storm has helped enable a lot of new records to be shattered this election cycle.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Remakes enable this sharing of experiences because getting old computer hardware or video games consoles to work, while a pastime loved by some, is not possible for everyone.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Put bluntly, the greed of North Korea’s cash-hungry cadre seemed to enable Shin’s trek.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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 is a precondition of membership of the EU's single market, which enables goods, services and people to move freely between EU member states.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
A common defense of this system is that additional Medicaid money enables hospitals to charge privately insured patients less.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“We believe that SPCX’s unrivaled launch capabilities represent the foundational competitive advantage that enables all other parts of its business,” bullish Citi analysts led by John Godyn said in a recent note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 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
Voters may want to punish politicians who enabled his crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Authorities have acknowledged security and intelligence failures that enabled the clashes, looting and vandalism that erupted on October 17.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The contents of the phone enabled police to understand the scale of the operation, which was described as "a very busy operation on a national level".
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
I suspect most Americans would agree that anyone else who enabled Epstein or engaged in crimes with him should be named, shamed, and potentially prosecuted—no matter what side of the political aisle they sit on.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
Nevertheless, a combination of tried-and-tested reporting techniques enabled me to extract enough nuggets of hard fact to string together the whole scandalous story.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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
“Traditional PCs will play an important role in enabling AI applications and driving strong returns on AI infrastructure spending.”
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
Although substantial development is still needed before skyrmions can be used in everyday computing devices, the research highlights their potential for improving data storage, enabling new computing architectures, and supporting advances in quantum technology.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
The students were asked about other time periods, too, and other amounts of money, enabling the researchers to assess how the students value money over time.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
