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
Conceptualized and developed by High Profile Lifestyle (HPL), Freelancers Unplugged is a 6-part concert series created to inspire, empower, and celebrate freelancers across the entertainment industry.
—Malana Vantyle, USA Today, 17 May 2025
For starters, a team that’s aligned on the mission and empowered to make decisions is going to move faster—way faster—than one waiting around for the boss’s rubber stamp.
—Allison Maslan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Bette sold Liquid Paper to Gillette for about $50 million in 1979 (more than $233 million today) and gave half of it to philanthropies empowering women.
—Pat Butler, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025
Related Stories The Redress Design Award competition was established in 2011 to help abate some of that waste by educating and empowering emerging fashion designers to produce sustainable and circular collections that combat the problem of waste rather than contributing to it.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 15 May 2025
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Malana Vantyle, USA Today, 17 May 2025
For starters, a team that’s aligned on the mission and empowered to make decisions is going to move faster—way faster—than one waiting around for the boss’s rubber stamp.
—Allison Maslan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Bette sold Liquid Paper to Gillette for about $50 million in 1979 (more than $233 million today) and gave half of it to philanthropies empowering women.
—Pat Butler, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025
Related Stories The Redress Design Award competition was established in 2011 to help abate some of that waste by educating and empowering emerging fashion designers to produce sustainable and circular collections that combat the problem of waste rather than contributing to it.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for empower
Cite this Entry
“Empower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empower. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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
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