enable
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
enable
- /ɪˈneɪ.bəl/ Canada, US, UK
- /ɪˈnæɪ.bəl/ Australia
- /əˈnæɪ.bəl/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -eɪbəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English enablen, equivalent to en- + able.
verb enables · enabling · enabled
- To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- To affirm; to make firm and strong.
- To qualify or approve for some role or position; to render sanction or authorization to; to confirm suitability for. This was widely interpreted to mean that slavery was once more firmly illegal in England. However, the "positive law" mentioned–i.e., a direct law specifically enabling slavery–existed in many British colonies (although not all), since these colonies had a degree of freedom to write their own law ap
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To yield the opportunity or provide the possibility for something; to provide with means, opportunities, and the like.
Temperance gives Nature her full play, and enables her to exert herself in all her force and vigor.
Similar: allow
- To imply or tacitly confer excuse for an action or a behavior. His parents enabled him to go on buying drugs.
- To put a circuit element into action by supplying a suitable input pulse.
- To activate, to make operational (especially of a function of an electronic or mechanical device).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: enablement, habilitation, empower, afford, able, permitting, permit, allow, permitted, establish, authorize, offer, allowed, facilitate, grant, capable
Translations
Every language
verb to give power, sanction or authorization to; to provide with abilities, means, opportunities
| Español | habilitar |
|---|---|
| Português | habilitar |
| Français | autoriser |
| Deutsch | (jemanden) berechtigen, befähigen |
| Русский | дава́ть возмо́жность davátʹ vozmóžnostʹ, уполномо́чивать upolnomóčivatʹ |
verb to make something possible
| Español | posibilitar |
|---|---|
| Português | possibilitar |
| Français | permettre |
| Deutsch | ermöglichen |
verb to allow a way out or excuse for an action
| Français | permettre |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | anordnen |
| Italiano | permettere |
| Ελληνικά | επιτρέπω epitrépo |
verb to activate a function of an electronic or mechanical device
| Español | activar, habilitar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 啟用 /启用 qǐyòng |
| हिन्दी | सक्रिय करना sakriya karnā, चालू करना cālū karnā |
| Kiswahili | kuwasha |
| Português | ativar, habilitar |
| Français | activer, permettre |
| Deutsch | aktivieren, einschalten |
| Italiano | attivare, abilitare |
| Ελληνικά | ενεργοποιώ energopoió |
| Română | activa |
| Русский | активи́ровать aktivírovatʹ, включа́ть vključátʹ |
Talk about this word "enable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/enable. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. enable. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/enable "enable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/enable.Cite this
@misc{enable_2026,
title = {enable},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/enable},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
