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

Her fraught bunny legacy ultimately empowered other women, inspiring a new generation to claim their own stories. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Von Furstenberg, who built a fashion empire around a silhouette that empowered women to be in charge of their own bodies and lives, always got the memo, too. — Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

As a leader, your job is to create an environment where every generation feels empowered to bring their best to the table. — Kent Ingle, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026

The rest of American medicine is thousands of autonomous clinics on different records and different payers, with no one empowered to give the order. — John E. Harrison, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 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