facilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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facilitates,
present (3rd person singular)
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facilitated,
past participle, past
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facilitating
present participle
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to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.).
Careful planning facilitates any kind of work.
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to lead or moderate (a discussion, workshop, etc.), especially as a person trained to do so.
An instructor will facilitate the online discussions, providing students with the questions beforehand.
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to assist the progress of (a person).
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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facilitatesimple
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facilitatessimple
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have facilitatedperfect
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has facilitatedperfect
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am facilitatingprogressive
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are facilitatingprogressive
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is facilitatingprogressive
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have been facilitatingperfect progressive
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has been facilitatingperfect progressive
Past
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facilitatedsimple
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had facilitatedperfect
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was facilitatingprogressive
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were facilitatingprogressive
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had been facilitatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of facilitate
First recorded in 1605–15; facilit(y) + -ate 1
Explanation
To facilitate means to make something easier. If your best friend is very shy, you could facilitate her efforts to meet new people. Facilitate comes from the Latin facilis, for "easy." It means to make something easier or more likely to happen. You facilitate growth or a process, as opposed to, say, dinner. Often in business meetings someone will be assigned to facilitate a discussion so people don't just sit in awkward silence. Synonyms are ease, simplify, expedite, and assist.
Vocabulary lists containing facilitate
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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Make Do: Fac
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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:
Iran's foreign minister has also said it is ready to provide "any assistance necessary to facilitate the start of talks" between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
"A specifically designed coating could, in the future, facilitate this transfer and the interaction between mitochondria and cells," emphasizes Dr. Tiranti.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
When Alma and Elisabet retreat to a seaside summer residence, presumably to facilitate the actress’s recovery, most viewers will assume that the matter will be clarified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The company wrote that net proceeds will reduce the company’s debt and facilitate the repurchase of company shares.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
He was eager to facilitate a meeting between me and the full group.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Our findings suggest that conjoint exercise facilitates, in a small but significant way, the ability to resolve conflict peacefully," Yorgason said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
In statements, Denver and Boston public school districts said they are committed to helping students and teachers navigate AI in a way that facilitates learning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says it facilitates clinical research, but it is still too early to know whether psychedelic treatments might one day become routinely available.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Getting rid of the physical disc also facilitates distribution by reducing supply-chain hiccups and the possibility of a premature leak.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
For the plant the change is highly disadvantageous, but it facilitates harvest by humans—the grain waits on the stem to be collected.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Somewhere, a piece of restaurant software had facilitated communication between two people who could reasonably have passed each other a saltshaker.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Kreiz was previously chairman and chief executive of Mattel, where he facilitated the toy company’s big Hollywood push with “Barbie,” “Masters of the Universe” and the upcoming Hot Wheels movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
For example, perhaps increased closeness to parents facilitated by smartphones or gentler parenting styles leads young adults in their 20s and early 30s to be more comfortable living with their folks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The exhibition was facilitated by the Watford Labour MP Matt Turmaine after he saw Fawley's work at the care home.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
After introducing himself, he facilitated a conversation that would last about an hour, asking people to share their stories and describe their concerns about life in the neighborhood.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Experts have also pointed to land-clearing practices used to make room for plantations as another factor facilitating the spread of wildfires in Indonesia, with naturally fire-resistant forests replaced by less dense and shaded vegetation.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Are they happening together or not? At which molecular site? And how is the water network facilitating the proton hop?"
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
It does still bar them from knowingly or recklessly facilitating such sales, and it requires them to take “reasonable measures” to prevent them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
By facilitating an open conversation that nails down the details of your offer, you can provide for your great-nephew and avoid friction with your wife.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Hubler could make hundreds of millions facilitating the idiocy of Morgan Stanley’s customers.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
