empower
verb
em·pow·er
im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r 
empowered; empowering; empowers
1
: to give official authority or legal power to
empowered her attorney to act on her behalf
2
: enable sense 1a
… nootropic agents empower the lower amounts of acetylcholine in diseased brains to work overtime …—
Science News
Science News3
: to promote the self-actualization or influence of
The American women's movement has been inspiring and empowering women for nearly 20 years …—Ron Hansen
Ron HansenMembers of our discipline often envision themselves as agents of social change who try to promote critique of dominant ideologies and empower students to become active participants in the larger political world.—Christy Friend
Christy FriendExamples of empower in a Sentence
seeking changes in the workplace that will empower women
the federal agency empowered to collect taxes
Recent Examples on the Web
The bottom line is that all of my advocacy work is about empowering women, whether that’s with information, access, or actual products.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 14 Apr. 2026
Simple and flexible plans that empower local officials to repurpose everyday assets in real time work best.
—Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
But authors feeling empowered to speak out about their concerns while their show is currently being released — or even before it’s released, even if they’re attached to the project — does feel new.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
New York took an important step forward last year by passing the Build Public Renewables Act, empowering the New York Power Authority to build and own renewable energy projects in the public interest.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for empower
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Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 14 Apr. 2026
Simple and flexible plans that empower local officials to repurpose everyday assets in real time work best.
—Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
But authors feeling empowered to speak out about their concerns while their show is currently being released — or even before it’s released, even if they’re attached to the project — does feel new.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
New York took an important step forward last year by passing the Build Public Renewables Act, empowering the New York Power Authority to build and own renewable energy projects in the public interest.
—Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for empower
Cite this Entry
“Empower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empower. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
empower
verb
em·pow·er
im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r
: to give official authority or legal power to
Legal Definition
empower
transitive verb
em·pow·er
im-ˈpau̇-ər
: to give official authority or legal power to
no branch of government should be empowered unilaterally to impose a serious penalty—L. H. Tribe
L. H. TribeLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
