To enable means to make something possible or to give someone the ability to do something. When you enable a friend to succeed, you provide the tools, support, or opportunity they need. A tutor enables a struggling student to understand algebra by teaching concepts in a clearer way. Computer software enables designers to create detailed drawings that would take hours by hand.

The word often appears in tech settings: you might enable notifications on your phone so messages can come through, or a teacher might enable screen sharing during an online class. When something is enabled, it's turned on and ready to work.

But enable can also describe helping someone continue doing something harmful. If a student always lets their friend copy homework, they're enabling that friend to avoid learning the material. Parents who make endless excuses for a child's misbehavior might be enabling bad habits to continue. In this sense, enabling means making it easier for someone to keep doing something they shouldn't, even if you think you're being helpful.

The key difference: enabling someone's growth and capability strengthens them, while enabling their avoidance or bad behavior weakens them, even though both involve providing support.