enable
To provide someone with the means, authority, or opportunity to do something. It also means to make a process or a system possible or operational.
Examples
3 of 5The new kitchen gadgets enable her to cook complex meals much faster.
The new tools allow her to prepare difficult dishes more quickly.
The grant was designed to enable the university to build a new research facility.
The funding was intended to allow the school to construct a new lab.
This shortcut will enable you to skip the long intro in the video game.
This trick helps you bypass the long opening sequence.
Word Family
Memory Tip
Look at the word: En + Able. The prefix 'en-' means 'to make'. So, 'enable' literally means 'to make able'.
Quick Quiz
The new scholarship will _______ students from low-income families to attend university.
Correct!
The correct answer is: enable
Examples
The new kitchen gadgets enable her to cook complex meals much faster.
everydayThe new tools allow her to prepare difficult dishes more quickly.
The grant was designed to enable the university to build a new research facility.
formalThe funding was intended to allow the school to construct a new lab.
This shortcut will enable you to skip the long intro in the video game.
informalThis trick helps you bypass the long opening sequence.
Advanced algorithms enable the software to predict market trends with high accuracy.
academicComplex math allows the program to forecast economic shifts precisely.
Our cloud solutions enable remote teams to collaborate in real-time.
businessOur online tools allow distant employees to work together instantly.
Word Family
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
enable the way
to clear obstacles to allow progress
enabling environment
a situation that makes it easy for something to happen
tech-enabled
supported or made possible by technology
Often Confused With
'Allow' focuses on permission (giving the 'OK'), whereas 'enable' focuses on capacity or providing the tools to succeed.
While 'enable' is usually positive, 'enabler' is often used negatively in psychology to describe someone who inadvertently helps someone continue a self-destructive habit.
Usage Notes
The most common grammatical structure is 'enable + object + to-infinitive'. It is frequently used in technical, business, and academic contexts to describe how one thing makes another thing possible.
Common Mistakes
Learners often forget the 'to' in the infinitive. For example, they might say 'enable him do' instead of the correct 'enable him to do'.
Memory Tip
Look at the word: En + Able. The prefix 'en-' means 'to make'. So, 'enable' literally means 'to make able'.
Word Origin
From the Middle English prefix 'en-' (meaning to cause to be) and the adjective 'able'.
Grammar Patterns
Cultural Context
In the technology sector, 'enable' is the standard term for activating a setting or feature on a device or software.
Quick Quiz
The new scholarship will _______ students from low-income families to attend university.
Correct!
The correct answer is: enable
Related Phrases
Related Vocabulary
Describes something that is currently latent or possible but...
infrastructureInfrastructure refers to the basic physical and organization...
capacityDescribes a space, container, or system that has reached its...
activationActivation refers to the process of making something start w...
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