able

[A·ble]

If you're able to juggle, you'll go far in life. To be able is to have the skill, knowledge, or permission to do something.

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Fit; adapted; suitable.

Adjective
(usually followed by `to'') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something; "able to swim"; "she was able to program her computer"; "we were at last able to buy a car"; "able to get a grant for the project"

Adjective S.
having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity; "able to learn"; "human beings are able to walk on two feet"; "Superman is able to leap tall buildings"

Adjective S.
have the skills and qualifications to do things well; "able teachers"; "a capable administrator"; "children as young as 14 can be extremely capable and dependable"

Adjective S.
having a strong healthy body; "an able seaman"; "every able-bodied young man served in the army"

superl.
Fit; adapted; suitable.

superl.
Having sufficient power, strength, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as, an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a piano.

superl.
Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as, the ablest man in the senate; an able speech.

superl.
Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property.

a.
To make able; to enable; to strengthen.

a.
To vouch for.

Able

A"ble , a. [Comp. Abler ; superl. Ablest .] [OF. habile, L. habilis that may be easily held or managed, apt, skillful, fr. habere to have, hold. Cf. Habile and see Habit.] 1. Fit; adapted; suitable. [Obs.]

A many man, to ben an abbot able.

2. Having sufficient power, strength, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as, an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a piano. 3. Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as, the ablest man in the senate; an able speech.

No man wrote abler state papers.

4. (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property. Able for, is Scotticism.

"Hardly able for such a march." Robertson. Syn. -- Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful.
Able
A"ble, v. t. [See Able, a.] [Obs.] 1. To make able; to enable; to strengthen. Chaucer. 2. To vouch for. "I 'll able them." Shak.
able
*a*ble . [F. -able, L. -abilis.] An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable, able to be amended; blamable, fit to be blamed; salable. The form ible is used in the same sense. &hand; It is difficult to say when we are not to use -able instead of -ible. "Yet a rule may be laid down as to when we are to use it. To all verbs, then, from the Anglo-Saxon, to all based on the uncorrupted infinitival stems of Latin verbs of the first conjugation, and to all substantives, whencesoever sprung, we annex -able only." Fitzed. Hall.
Fit; adapted; suitable.
To make able; to enable; to strengthen.
An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable, able to be amended; blamable, fit to be blamed; salable.

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Usage Examples

Acting is fantastic, but to be able to create a whole world on celluloid is amazing. It's like taking your dreams straight from your head and projecting them onto a screen.

'10' was amazing! I had no career before '10' and then all of a sudden I was able to do pretty much whatever I was able to do in the business.

A supermodel needed to be able to be on 'Sports Illustrated,' to be able to walk runways, to be able to do beauty ads, to be on covers. And the girls now can no longer be on covers and be in the ads because your actresses have taken over all the jobs. I don't know what happened, but we want our jobs back.

After all it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life.

A formally recognized equality does, however, accord the smaller nations a position which they should be able to use increasingly in the interest of humanity as a whole and in the service of the ideal.

A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in the experience.

A good day is one where I can not just read a book, but write a review of it. Maybe today I'll be able to do that. I get for some reason somewhat stronger when the sun starts to go down. Dusk is a good time for me. I'm crepuscular.

Misspelled Form

able, qable, wable, sable, zable, qble, wble, sble, zble, aqble, awble, asble, azble, avble, agble, ahble, anble, a ble, avle, agle, ahle, anle, a le, abvle, abgle, abhle, abnle, ab le, abkle, abole, abple, ab:le, abke, aboe, abpe, ab:e, ablke, abloe, ablpe, abl:e, ablwe, abl3e, abl4e, ablre, ablse, ablde, ablw, abl3, abl4, ablr, abls, abld, ablew, able3, able4, abler, ables, abled.

Other Usage Examples

Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons.

A minister has to be able to read a clock. At noon, it's time to go home and turn up the pot roast and get the peas out of the freezer.

A lot of the things that we've been able to do in the last several years were Democratic ideas, including the structure for this new director of national intelligence.

A good teacher must be able to put himself in the place of those who find learning hard.

A pregnant woman facing the most dire circumstances must be able to count on her doctor to do what is medically necessary to protect her from serious physical harm.

A guy as great as Brett Favre has been for the length of time he's been, you would hope that he would be able to leave the game with a positive flavor in his mouth.

Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.

A lot of me is very up, and you have to have light and shade. They are both important and you have to be able to balance them. You have to admit that sadness is part of you and that it enriches you. I use it in my work.