facilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.).
Careful planning facilitates any kind of work.
-
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.
-
to assist the progress of (a person).
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
facilitatesimple
-
facilitatessimple
-
have facilitatedperfect
-
has facilitatedperfect
-
am facilitatingprogressive
-
are facilitatingprogressive
-
is facilitatingprogressive
-
have been facilitatingperfect progressive
-
has been facilitatingperfect progressive
Past
-
facilitatedsimple
-
had facilitatedperfect
-
was facilitatingprogressive
-
were facilitatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Make Do: Fac
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
ACT Vocabulary List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
For the entirety of his short life at the neonatal intensive care unit, he had the cannula through his nose to facilitate his breathing and a feeding tube between his lips.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
But it was capitalized primarily by private investors, and it was established to facilitate private as well as public business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“We remain committed to helping facilitate the timely disbursement of insurance proceeds as requirements are met.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
"Continuity of care saves lives, and it can also help to facilitate better access, better follow ups, and just better health outcomes," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Andrew Mlangeni, the last accused, made an unsworn state-ment admitting that he carried messages and instructions for MK and had disguised himself as a priest to facilitate this work.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
It’s part of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, an international organization that facilitates college courses taught inside prisons, with half the seats filled by incarcerated students and half by students from outside.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
“This technology facilitates ease of reentry into our parks and helps prevent fraud,” the company noted in its website.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
More likely is the concept of a “board of trade” that focuses on nonsensitive goods, facilitates dialogue and potentially paves the way to reducing tariffs on $30 billion to $50 billion of goods.
From Barron's ● May 12, 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
The use of flammable materials as decoration may have facilitated the rapid spread of the fire, which originated near the stage, police say.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Central banks in Japan and China have in the recent past facilitated purchases of domestic stocks via ETFs, Balchunas pointed out.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Until they were suppressed by Soviet authorities, the Helsinki groups facilitated an unprecedented flow of information about the real conditions of Soviet life within the Soviet Union and to Western states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
The cash raised will strengthen its balance sheet and has already facilitated some recent strategic transactions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 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
Qatar, which has played a vital role in facilitating negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, condemned the attack on its tanker as “unacceptable.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The CoinEx spokesperson denied facilitating direct transactions on behalf of Iranian or sanctioned entities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
"Barring a massive increase in Australian defence expenditure, for which there is little political appetite, facilitating greater US investment in Australian real estate is widely considered to be the most prudent approach to take."
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Muhamadi, who is from Iran, was found guilty of two counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Writing empowered European societies by facilitating political administration and economic exchanges, motivating and guiding exploration and conquest, and making available a range of information and human experience extending into remote places and times.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions 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.
