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

Earlier this month, Congress passed the Sanctioning Russia Act, which empowers the president to hit the five largest purchasers of Russian oil—including India and China—with tariffs of up to 100 percent. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

The exercise has given the government the power to select who can vote, rather than empowering voters to choose the government, Dipke said at a press conference. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Knowledge and shared stories empower women at any age to transform uncertainty into actionable clarity. — Partner Content, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

And in May, OMB rocked the scientific community by proposing a rewrite to the bedrock guidance for all federal contracts that deemphasized peer review and empowered political appointees in driving decisions. — STAT, 23 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