verb

• 1with infinitive Give (someone) the authority or means to do something; make it possible for.

  ‘the evidence would enable us to arrive at firm conclusions’

  More example sentences

  • ‘She says they are sending her a letter of authority to enable her to accompany the deceased back to China.’
  • ‘The evidence enables him to describe how individuals and even groups became ensnared.’
  • ‘Technology is also enabling people with chronic illnesses to remain productive.’
  • ‘Integrated identity management software enables customers to tighten security and reduce costs while efficiently solving this complex IT problem.’
  • ‘New 3D imaging techniques enabled the scientists to look for subtle similarities and differences in brain structure.’
  • ‘The voice feature enables customers and representatives to engage in online, real-time conversation.’
  • ‘New methods enable fast, accurate identification of potential problems in clinical performance - and areas of high achievement.’
  • ‘The system enables a single operator to monitor and operate up to three systems.’
  • ‘A new technique enabled the scientists to better predict the severity of the next cycle.’
  • ‘TV receivers have a special control feature enabling all 758 channels to be played simultaneously.’
  • ‘The Applicant admits that he signed the consent form enabling Mr Jones to apply on his behalf.’
  • ‘He had the ear of the King and managed to secure a grant, enabling the poor cobbler's son from Odense to attend grammar school.’
  • ‘When did we agree to laws enabling companies to fine workers many times their daily wage if they went on strike for a day?’
  • ‘The grant has enabled the school to purchase three new cookers and to cover the cost of re-wiring.’
  • ‘He said the grant would now enable the church to apply to other charities for money.’
  • ‘Despite the many luxuries and enabling technologies available to them, young people are becoming less happy and secure.’
  • ‘The financing and grants enabled the cooperative to regain its license.’
  • ‘The grant has enabled the purchase of equipment and the appointment of a research assistant.’
  • ‘It must mean also that it has obtained whatever consents are needed to enable an assignment of rights to be effective.’
  • ‘The availability of the required permit forms enabled the transportation of susceptible animals direct to slaughter to be resumed.’

  Synonyms

  authorize, sanction, warrant, license, qualify, allow, permit, entitle, empower, accredit, legalize, validate

  allow, permit, let, give the means to, give the resources to, equip, prepare, facilitate, capacitate, fit

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Make (something) possible.
     ‘each of them has wheels to enable easy transportation’
     More example sentences

     • ‘the Department is leading the effort to enable a smooth and timely transition’
     • ‘Their findings will be available within days enabling the lifebuoy committee to proceed with putting more buoys in place.’
     • ‘Accounts are expected to be available by next year, enabling a wide range of authorised providers to offer the funds.’
     • ‘There are also 16 day-places at the hospice, enabling sufferers to chat with people who understand the trauma they are going through.’
     • ‘Their new home will have specially adapted rooms built to enable Phoebe to live as full a life as possible.’
     • ‘It would then be your duty to make reasonable adjustments to enable the individual to return to work if possible.’
     • ‘A supply chain is a mechanism that enables products to be available in the right amount, at the right place and time.’
     • ‘The ability to tolerate high-fibre enables it to convert the grass into milk for its calves.’
     • ‘Both ends of the pipe were sealed and fitted with counter weights to enable it to float.’
     • ‘New forms of citizenship and public life are simultaneously enabled by new technology and restricted by market power and surveillance.’
     • ‘Some chemicals will attack it, thereby enabling it to be etched.’
     • ‘Many courses now enable students to travel abroad in order to familiarise themselves with different perspectives on world history.’
     • ‘The merger would enable all the students in Swindon to be taught under one umbrella.’
     • ‘Combining observations made in living cells with computational methods enabled researchers to measure fundamental biophysical properties in living cells.’
     • ‘They also say that open source provides greater flexibility and control and enables faster, cheaper application development.’
     • ‘Surely the point of having a personal blog is to enable people to read the author's work?’
     • ‘The site is aimed at enabling people to practise their English language skills.’
     • ‘On the other hand, it enables people to spread rumors and untruths without accountability.’
     • ‘The event also enables people to share their ideas and work with the other groups taking part.’
     • ‘The technology enables a keyboard to be projected onto a flat surface using a beam of light, which can then be typed on.’
     • ‘This structure enables hierarchies of management and also peer to peer management functions.’
     • ‘Varney said the fraud against the tax credit systems was enabled by illicit access to government payroll records.’
     Synonyms

     allow, permit, give permission to, give leave to, authorize, sanction, grant, grant the right to, warrant, license, empower, enable, entitle

     View synonyms

• 2Computing
  Make (a device or system) operational; activate.

  ‘you can enable compression or even virus scanning prior to backup’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Yet service providers are relatively constrained when it comes to enabling Ethernet services.’
  • ‘The problem was that no one really needed Internet Printing services enabled by default.’
  • ‘So far as we could gather, the Net service is enabled by default and has to be switched off in BIOS setup.’
  • ‘However, the fact that you haven't enabled this service doesn't necessarily mean you're safe if you have an OEM box.’
  • ‘But this service is not enabled by default, hence the relatively low risk.’
  • ‘What really irks me, though, is having to manually enable all these high-tech marvels.’
  • ‘You do need to have cookies enabled on your web browser to access the Members Only section.’
  • ‘This means that memory overflow viruses will not affect a system with EVP enabled.’
  • ‘Now, with a P2P system fully enabled, they can offer that functionality with iron-clad security.’
  • ‘On the new address I have very strong spam filtering enabled at the ISP end, and almost none gets through to me.’
  • ‘In doing so, Northern Ireland has become the first UK region outside of London to have every one of its exchanges enabled for broadband.’
  • ‘Please note that you must have popup windows and JavaScript enabled in your browser to see these.’
  • ‘Just make sure you have java installed and enabled.’
  • ‘Infecting an average Windows machine is fairly trivial, as most people have ActiveX and Java enabled.’
  • ‘A Free mode only shows those APs that have no security enabled whilst the D mode locks on to the selected AP and periodically keeps track of it.’
  • ‘The chips will not have Hyper-Threading technology enabled.’
  • ‘It's unlikely that you've got this service enabled without knowing it, but not impossible.’
  • ‘This immediately enabled all services on that network to the outside world.’
  • ‘I have javascript enabled on this Windows 95 Netscape 4.6 browser but no forms for annotation appear when I log on to the site.’
  • ‘Click for our special Xmas card (if you have Java enabled on your browser).’