From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe able to do somethingbe able to do somethinga) CANto have the skill, strength, knowledge etc needed to do something I’ve always wanted to be able to speak Japanese. b) CANto be in a situation in which it is possible for you to do something I’d like to do more gardening, but I never seem able to find the time. I haven’t been able to read that report yet. → able
Examples from the Corpus
be able to do something• My grandpa's getting old now and he can't do all the things he used to be able to.• Thomas is expected to be able to play again next weekend.• However, further studies are required to be able to reach significant conclusions on the economics of such an attempt.• Consumers are now able to buy the drug without a prescription.• Those bags look really heavy - are you sure you'll be able to carry them on your own?• Once he was able to communicate his feelings, he and his wife were able to resolve the situation.• Because of the drop in stock prices, investors were able to find some bargains this week.• You might be able to get a temporary passport.• She was able to get her watch repaired the same day.• The men most likely to be able to give the news, she said, were Nestor and Menelaus.• Do you really think the uneducated people they leave behind will be able to keep the artificial environments stable?• Ammiano still isn't able to make a living from acting.• For example, ants are able to memorize the path through a maze and are capable of applying this learning to other mazes.• Table 16-2 shows that the first Thatcher government was able to reduce marginal tax rates substantially, especially for the very rich.• The taxi driver was a friend of ours so we were able to relax driving to the Airport.• In 1944, we were able to return to Hawaii.• Working without advisers and with a poor slate of generals, Lincoln was able to reunite the country and end slavery.• To take the class, you have to be able to use a computer.• After the accident it was a long time before she was able to walk again. 