facilitate

American  

[fuh-sil-i-teyt] / fəˈsɪl ɪˌteɪt /

verb (used with object)

• facilitates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• facilitated,
  past participle,  past
• facilitating
  present participle

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).

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facilitate British  

/ fəˈsɪlɪˌteɪt /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• facilitator
  noun
• facilitative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• facilitating
  present
• facilitated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• facilitate
  simple
• facilitates
  simple
• have facilitated
  perfect
• has facilitated
  perfect
• am facilitating
  progressive
• are facilitating
  progressive
• is facilitating
  progressive
• have been facilitating
  perfect progressive
• has been facilitating
  perfect progressive

Past

• facilitated
  simple
• had facilitated
  perfect
• was facilitating
  progressive
• were facilitating
  progressive
• had been facilitating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will facilitate
  simple
• will have facilitated
  perfect
• will be facilitating
  progressive
• will have been facilitating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

facilitate facilitates facilitated facilitating

In April, the DRC and M23 agreed to facilitate humanitarian aid and release prisoners following talks in Switzerland.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

In 2016 Lane helped to facilitate the partnership between Forbes Media and Shook Research, Shook said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

When the BBC’s legal team did exactly that, Secret Service counsel Troy Epstein flatly declared the agency was neither authorized to accept service on the family’s behalf nor willing to help facilitate it.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

Roads can also facilitate the spread of flammable invasive grasses and other fire fuels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

There was even a train system to facilitate transporting the miners from the Nut to the very center of the main town in District 2.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

People do this because rolling funds into a plan often facilitates another maneuver and the funds are often still accessible.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

"However, our data show that water mainly facilitates mantle melting. The key factor for high gold concentrations is the high - and in part repeated - degree of melting."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 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

Such tight control facilitates maintenance of a narrow band of exchange value of the yuan vs. the dollar and effective control over the exchange value against all currencies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 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

In a statement, the activists called for an independent investigation to establish "who requested, authorised, facilitated and concealed Dr Besigye's rendition".

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

So that’s what made me think I couldn’t make the movie and that’s what facilitated this idea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Since talks facilitated by Malaysia began in 2013, the peace process has repeatedly stalled amid changing governments in Bangkok, with internal divisions on both sides.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

On Monday, Upstart reported that it had facilitated roughly $1.4 billion in total preliminary loan originations across 27.4 effective origination days, which averages out to $51 million per day.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Our desks were arranged in a U shape because Ms. McCrea said that being able to see each other facilitated discussion.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Washington cut the bank off from U.S. correspondent banking in 2012, but the bank has continued facilitating Iranian business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Indiana acknowledged that Planned Parenthood was facilitating legal abortions.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

The US and Iran agreed a ceasefire in April - and then another one in June, both aimed at facilitating negotiations to end the conflict.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Trying facilitating a frank conversation about what needs to be in order.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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

Related Words

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