empower

verb

em·​pow·​er im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r 

empowered; empowering; empowers

transitive verb

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

3

: 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

Members 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

Synonyms of empower

• enable

Examples 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

McMaster is empowered under state law to appoint a temporary replacement to serve out the rest of Graham’s term, which ends in January. — Connor Greene, Time, 13 July 2026

Founded by 17-year-old Isaiah Harvey, the foundation is dedicated to empowering hard-of-hearing youth and children with disabilities. — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2026

Sitting above data platforms, cloud infrastructure, and AI services, Dataiku connects the full enterprise AI stack — empowering organizations to run AI across multi-vendor environments with centralized governance. — Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Catherine Lagaʻaia is the empowering teen wayfinder who sets sail with shapeshifting demigod Maui (played by Dwayne Johnson, embracing his inner Fabio) to save her people. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for empower

• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• firepower
• horsepower
• manpower
• mayflower
• safflower
• sunflower
• wallflower
• watchtower
• wildflower

Kids 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