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 FriendSynonyms
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
This empowers a prosecutor to have cause for filing charges.
—Nate Chute, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Decentralized financial tools can reduce barriers for underbanked communities, empowering individuals and small businesses with access to innovative financial services.
—Tonya Evans, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
There were empowering reflections on her experience as a woman demanding a seat behind the wheel in these United States.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
The Password buddies also talked about Emmy winner Palmer’s new empowering memoir, Master of Me, her tribute to Usher at this year’s BET Awards and her upcoming big screen comedy with SZA, One of Them Days.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
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.
Nate Chute, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Decentralized financial tools can reduce barriers for underbanked communities, empowering individuals and small businesses with access to innovative financial services.
—Tonya Evans, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
There were empowering reflections on her experience as a woman demanding a seat behind the wheel in these United States.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
The Password buddies also talked about Emmy winner Palmer’s new empowering memoir, Master of Me, her tribute to Usher at this year’s BET Awards and her upcoming big screen comedy with SZA, One of Them Days.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for empower
Dictionary Entries Near empower
Cite this Entry
“Empower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empower. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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