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
As digital environments grow increasingly complex, security graphs are quickly becoming indispensable for understanding system access and network activity and empowering security teams to better anticipate, detect and contain breaches.
—Ben Verghese, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
This collaboration will support The Shameless Fund, Bailey’s LGBTQIA+ charity founded in 2024, which aims to empower LGBTQIA+ individuals to live authentically.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
Our Food and Wine stage will focus on empowering attendees to transform their culinary passions into thriving ventures.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 30 June 2025
The Supreme Court made a (ph) decision empowering Donald Trump by limiting the power of judges to stop his executive orders or to freeze his executive orders.
—ABC News, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for empower
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ben Verghese, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
This collaboration will support The Shameless Fund, Bailey’s LGBTQIA+ charity founded in 2024, which aims to empower LGBTQIA+ individuals to live authentically.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 30 June 2025
Our Food and Wine stage will focus on empowering attendees to transform their culinary passions into thriving ventures.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 30 June 2025
The Supreme Court made a (ph) decision empowering Donald Trump by limiting the power of judges to stop his executive orders or to freeze his executive orders.
—ABC News, 29 June 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 7 Jul. 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
Share