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facilitate

Facilitate means to help something happen and often means to lead a meeting or discussion. It is always the process which is facilitated, not a person.

  • Clearly written lists and labels will facilitate your move.
  • The brainstorming session was facilitated by a team of outside consultants.
  • Incorrect: Operating room nurses facilitate the surgeons.
  • Correct: Operating room nurses facilitate the work of the surgeons.
  • Correct: Operating room nurses assist the surgeons.

For more effective writing, be on the lookout for opportunities to replace facilitate with a plainer term.

  • Difficult: Gina’s input will facilitate the transformation of the system.
  • Plain: Gina’s input will help to transform the system.

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TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau

Date Modified: 2015-10-15

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