able
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(ā'bəl) 
adj., a·bler, a·blest.
adj., a·bler, a·blest.
- Having sufficient power or resources to accomplish something: a singer able to reach high notes; a detergent able to remove stains.
- Usage Problem. Susceptible to action or treatment: The brakes were able to be fixed.
- Especially capable or talented.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin habilis, from habēre, to handle.]
ably a'bly (ā'blē) adv.USAGE NOTE The construction able to takes an infinitive to show the subject's ability to accomplish an action: We were able to get a grant for the project. The new submarine is able to dive twice as fast as the older model. Some people think it should be avoided when the subject does not have an ability, as in sentences with passive constructions involving forms of the verb be: The problem was able to be solved by using a new lab technique. The reasoning here is that since the problem has no ability to accomplish an action, it is not able to do anything, and therefore able to should not be used. Presumably this ban would apply to similar words like capable and to negative words like unable and incapable. In such cases one can usually avoid the problem by using can or could: The problem could be solved-=@ellipsis4=- Keep in mind, however, that passives with get ascribe a more active role to their subjects, and here one can use able to: He was able to get accepted by a top law school.
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able
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Financially capable of completing a real estate transaction.
Example: See READY, WILLING, AND ABLE .
Example: See READY, WILLING, AND ABLE .
| Abatement, Abandonment | |
| Abnormal Sale, Abode |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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able
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adj
Definition: able to perform well; innate or proven capacity
Antonyms: delicate, feeble, ineffective, inept, infirm, powerless, stupid, unable, useless, weak
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able
IN BRIEF: Have the skills to do things well.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
— Aristotle (384-322 BC), Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great.
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categories related to 'able'
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Able (1917 automobile)
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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009) |
| Industry | Automobile |
|---|---|
| Successor | Vernon |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Defunct | 1919 |
| Headquarters | Mount Vernon, New York, USA |
| Products | automobiles |
The Able was an American car produced in Mount Vernon, New York between 1917 and 1919. It was a small production car, featuring its own engines, though other components were proprietary. In 1920 the car became the Vernon.
 |
This article about classic and vintage automobiles produced between 1915 and 1930 is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Able
Dansk (Danish)
adj. - i stand til, med evne til
idioms:
- be able to være i stand til, evne at
Nederlands (Dutch)
bekwaam, slim, vaardig, begaafd
Français (French)
adj. - habile, capable, compétent, en mesure de, apte à, propre à
idioms:
- be able to pouvoir, être capable de, être en mesure de
Deutsch (German)
adj. - fähig, tüchtig, geschickt
idioms:
- be able to können
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ικανός, άξιος, επιτήδειος, αρτιμελής
idioms:
- be able to μπορώ να, είμαι σε θέση να, κατορθώνω να
Italiano (Italian)
abile, capace, competente
idioms:
- be able to essere in grado di
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - capaz, apto
idioms:
- be able to ser capaz de
Русский (Russian)
способный, умелый, компетентный
idioms:
- be able to быть в состоянии
Español (Spanish)
adj. - hábil, experto, competente
idioms:
- be able to ser capaz de
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - duktig, skicklig
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
可, 会, 能, 能干的, 有才能的
idioms:
- be able to 能, 会
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 可, 會, 能, 能幹的, 有才能的
idioms:
- be able to 能, 會
한국어 (Korean)
adj. - ~할 수 있는, 유능한, 자격이 있는
idioms:
- be able to ~할 수 있다
日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - できる, 有能な, 立派な
idioms:
- be able to できる
العربيه (Arabic)
(صفه) قادر, قدير, بارع
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - יכול, מוכשר, כשרוני, מסוגל
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Dictionary of Real Estate Terms. Copyright © 2008 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.
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