Synonyms of empower

empower

verb

im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r 

1

as in to enable

to give official or legal power to

the federal agency empowered to collect taxes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enable
• authorize
• qualify
• allow
• permit
• certify
• invest
• entitle
• license
• charter
• warrant
• vest
• accredit
• commission
• approve
• affirm
• endorse
• validate
• let
• initiate
• confirm
• sanction
• install
• inaugurate
• OK
• induct
• privilege
• enfranchise
• clear
• credential
• swear in
• instate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevent
• disqualify
• hinder
• discourage
• impede
• exclude
• deny
• stop
• inhibit
• constrain
• obstruct
• disallow
• shut out
• block
• prohibit
• bar
• hold back
• ban
• enjoin
• forbid
• disenfranchise
• disfranchise
• veto
• outlaw
• disbar
• proscribe
• interdict

2

as in to let

to make able or possible

workshops in financial management to empower workers to plan for their retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enable
• let
• allow
• permit
• prepare
• equip
• ready
• qualify
• approve
• endorse
• fit
• habilitate
• condition
• sanction

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevent
• preclude
• inhibit
• prohibit
• forbid
• enjoin
• disallow

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of empower

And China hawks in Washington are newly empowered to push for more restrictions on American chipmakers’ overseas dealings. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 12 Nov. 2026

What becomes of the law's promise of protection when the officials empowered to enforce it repeatedly exercise their discretion in favor of the person it was meant to restrain? — Anna Rahmanan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026

To empower healthy choices, the guide does not include fresh produce in that tally. — Nancy Vienneau, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2026

That felt empowering until January, when federal agents in Minnesota shot and killed two American protesters — a poet with three children and an intensive care nurse. — Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026