# enable

Pronunciation: say "i-NAY-buhl" /ɪˈneɪbəl/

## Verb

1. To give someone sufficient ability or power to do or to be something.
   - Simple: To give someone the power or ability to do something.
   - _The new software will enable staff to work from home._
   - _Her savings enabled the family to buy their first house._
2. To provide the means, opportunity, or possibility for something to happen.
   - Simple: To make something possible by giving the chance or means to do it.
   - _New funding will enable the charity to reach more families._
   - _The platform enables users to share large files instantly._
3. To activate a function or make it operational, especially on an electronic or mechanical device.
   - Simple: To turn on a feature or function so a device can use it.
   - _Enable two-factor authentication to protect your account._
   - _The latest update enabled offline access for all users._
4. To qualify or approve someone for a role or position, to give official sanction or authorization to someone or something, or to confirm someone's suitability.
   - Simple: To approve or qualify someone for a role, or to give official permission for something.
   - _The council refused to pass any ordinance that would enable street gambling downtown._
   - _His certification enabled him to practice law in three states._
5. To tacitly excuse or encourage someone's harmful behavior, often by helping it continue rather than confronting it.
   - Simple: To support someone's bad behavior by making excuses or helping it continue.
   - _Friends who always make excuses enable destructive patterns._
   - _The manager enabled the bullying by ignoring every complaint._
6. In electronics, to activate a circuit element, such as a register or flip-flop, by sending it the appropriate input pulse.
   - Simple: To switch on a circuit part by sending it the right signal.
   - _A clock pulse will enable the flip-flop to latch the data._
   - _The control line enabled the register at the rising edge._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To affirm; to make firm and strong.

## Origin

From Middle English enablen, formed from the prefix en- combined with able.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/enable (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).