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
Respite care may be an option that empowers everyone involved.
—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
LeVota has argued that he is empowered as county executive to intervene in order to correct issues with county assessments, and has characterized the school districts’ lawsuit as an attempt to prevent Jackson County taxpayers from receiving financial relief.
—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2026
The type of targeted, sustained intervention and tracking, including across city agencies empowered by the tracker is exactly what our educators, students and families need and deserve.
—
Sarah Scrogin,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
The decisions nobody else is empowered to make.
—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for empower
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R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
LeVota has argued that he is empowered as county executive to intervene in order to correct issues with county assessments, and has characterized the school districts’ lawsuit as an attempt to prevent Jackson County taxpayers from receiving financial relief.
—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2026
The type of targeted, sustained intervention and tracking, including across city agencies empowered by the tracker is exactly what our educators, students and families need and deserve.
—
Sarah Scrogin,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
The decisions nobody else is empowered to make.
—
Lien De Pau,
Forbes.com,
26 June 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 30 Jun. 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
