Standard Lemma guide

facilitate

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/
  • /fəˈsɪləteɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F AH0 S IH1 L AH0 T EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make easy or easier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ease, open the door

Antonyms: hinder, impede

2

verb

Meaning 2

To help bring about.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: hinder, impede

3

verb

Meaning 3

To preside over (a meeting, a seminar).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

make easier

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ease, alleviate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: help, assist, aid

5

verb

Meaning 5

increase the likelihood of (a response)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The stimulus facilitates a delayed impulse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cause, do, make

6

verb

Meaning 6

be of use

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This will help to prevent accidents

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: help

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: serve

History

Etymology

Anglicisation of French faciliter (“facilitate”) through -ate (verb-forming suffix), ultimately from Latin facilis.

Across languages

Translations

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَهَّلَ (sahhala) — to make easy or easier
  • Armenian: դյուրացնել (dyuracʻnel) — to make easy or easier
  • Armenian: հեշտացնել (heštacʻnel) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: улеснявам (ulesnjavam) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: благоприятствам (blagoprijatstvam) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: спомагам (spomagam) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: спомогна (spomogna) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: улесня (ulesnja) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: облекчавам (oblekčavam) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: облекча (oblekča) — to make easy or easier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使......容易 (shǐ ... róngyì) — to make easy or easier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 輔助 /辅助 (fǔzhù) — to make easy or easier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 促进 (cùjìn) — to make easy or easier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 幫助 /帮助 (bāngzhù) — to make easy or easier
  • Czech: usnadnit — to make easy or easier
  • Czech: ulehčit — to make easy or easier
  • Danish: facilitere — to make easy or easier
  • Dutch: vergemakkelijken — to make easy or easier
  • Dutch: faciliteren — to make easy or easier
  • Esperanto: faciligi — to make easy or easier
  • Finnish: helpottaa — to make easy or easier
  • French: faciliter — to make easy or easier
  • German: erleichtern — to make easy or easier
  • German: fördern — to make easy or easier
  • Greek: διευκολύνω (diefkolýno) — to make easy or easier
  • Italian: facilitare — to make easy or easier
  • Italian: agevolare — to make easy or easier
  • Korean: 일을 용이하게 하다 (ireul yong'ihage hada) — to make easy or easier
  • Kyrgyz: азайтуу (azaytuu) — to make easy or easier
  • Kyrgyz: басаңдатуу (basaŋdatuu) — to make easy or easier
  • Kyrgyz: жеңилдетүү (jeŋildetüü) — to make easy or easier
  • Kyrgyz: оңойлотуу (oŋoylotuu) — to make easy or easier
  • Ligurian: façilitâ — to make easy or easier
  • Māori: huawaere — to make easy or easier
  • Māori: tūāpā — to make easy or easier
  • Norman: faciliter — to make easy or easier
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gjøre lettere — to make easy or easier
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forenkle — to make easy or easier
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gjere lettare — to make easy or easier
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: forenkle — to make easy or easier
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: forenkla — to make easy or easier
  • Persian: تسهیل کردن (tashil kardan) — to make easy or easier
  • Polish: ułatwiać — to make easy or easier
  • Polish: torować — to make easy or easier
  • Polish: upraszczać — to make easy or easier
  • Portuguese: facilitar — to make easy or easier
  • Romanian: facilita — to make easy or easier
  • Romanian: ușura — to make easy or easier
  • Romanian: înlesni — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: спосо́бствовать (sposóbstvovatʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: поспосо́бствовать (posposóbstvovatʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: помога́ть (pomogátʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: помо́чь (pomóčʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: облегча́ть (oblexčátʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: облегчи́ть (oblexčítʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: соде́йствовать (sodéjstvovatʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Russian: посоде́йствовать (posodéjstvovatʹ) — to make easy or easier
  • Slovak: uľahčiť — to make easy or easier
  • Spanish: facilitar — to make easy or easier
  • Swedish: underlätta — to make easy or easier
  • Swedish: förenkla — to make easy or easier
  • Turkish: kolaylaştırmak — to make easy or easier
  • Ottoman Turkish: قولایلامق (kolaylamak) — to make easy or easier
  • Ukrainian: поле́гшувати (poléhšuvaty) — to make easy or easier
  • Ukrainian: поле́гши́ти (poléhšýty) — to make easy or easier
  • Ukrainian: сприя́ти (spryjáty) — to make easy or easier
  • Bulgarian: способствам (sposobstvam) — to help bring about
  • Finnish: helpottaa — to help bring about
  • Māori: tūāpā — to help bring about
  • Ukrainian: сприя́ти (spryjáty) — to help bring about
  • Finnish: johtaa puhetta — to preside over (a meeting, a seminar)
  • Finnish: johtaa — to preside over (a meeting, a seminar)
  • Finnish: fasilitoida — to preside over (a meeting, a seminar)
Real reading context

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