Loading page
say it: AY-buhl
able is an adjective meaning "(usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something". It carries 4 recorded senses.
(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”
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”
having a strong healthy body
“an able seaman”
“every able-bodied young man served in the army”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for able come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.