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
Instead, parents can embrace all kinds of empowering sentiments that are unique to each child and circumstance.
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 5 Jan. 2026
Today’s possibilities are practically endless with the Full Moon in your hopeful 9th house, which is further empowered by the Moon and Jupiter’s meeting there.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
Aikman is empowered to conduct a genuine search for a GM, too, one that will cover the league and involve larger concepts like the structure of power inside the team and reshaping a dysfunctional personnel department.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
The same technologies that could empower billions of CQOs could instead be used by a handful of firms or governments to centralize control and surveillance.
—Erik Brynjolfsson, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for empower
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Hannah Silverman, Parents, 5 Jan. 2026
Today’s possibilities are practically endless with the Full Moon in your hopeful 9th house, which is further empowered by the Moon and Jupiter’s meeting there.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026
Aikman is empowered to conduct a genuine search for a GM, too, one that will cover the league and involve larger concepts like the structure of power inside the team and reshaping a dysfunctional personnel department.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
The same technologies that could empower billions of CQOs could instead be used by a handful of firms or governments to centralize control and surveillance.
—Erik Brynjolfsson, Time, 2 Jan. 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 6 Jan. 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
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