facilitate

[fuh-sil-i-teyt]

verb (used with object)

facilitated, facilitating 

1. to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.).

   Careful planning facilitates any kind of work.

2. 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.

3. to assist the progress of (a person).

facilitate

/ fəˈsɪlɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make easier; assist the progress of

Other Word Forms

• facilitative adjective
• facilitator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of facilitate¹

First recorded in 1605–15; facilit(y) + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

The ceasefire’s terms are temporary, intended to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and further prisoner exchanges while diplomats push for a more lasting resolution.

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Dopamine release also facilitates a neurobiological process called conditioning, which is basically a neural learning process that gives rise to habit formation.

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The bank said it had committed to facilitating $1.5 trillion in investments for companies deemed “critical to national economic security and resiliency” over the next 10 years.

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The experts' key argument hinges on the potential of Ayvalık as a dynamic site for interaction and exchange, facilitating early human movement between the Anatolia peninsula and Europe.

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Until control was returned to the host nation in 1999, “the country that stood to gain the least from the Panama Canal and the international connectivity it facilitated was Panama itself.”

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Related Words

• aid 
• ease 
• expedite 
• further 
• help 
• promote 
• simplify 
• speed