- to give power or authority to; authorize: Congress is empowered to levy taxes
- to give ability to; enable; permit
- to provide (someone regarded as weak or oppressed) with the means or opportunities to improve his or her situation
verb
Empower is defined as to enable or give authority to someone.
An example of empower is to leave the second in command in total charge for the day.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"empower." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower>.
APA Style
empower. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower
empower
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"empower." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower>.
APA Style
empower. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower
empower
transitive verb
em·pow·ered, em·pow·er·ing, em·pow·ers- To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. See Synonyms at authorize.
- To equip or supply with an ability; enable: “Computers … empower students to become intellectual explorers” ( Edward B. Fiske )
Related Forms:
- em·pow′er·ment
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"empower." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower>.
APA Style
empower. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower
Verb
(third-person singular simple present empowers, present participle empowering, simple past and past participle empowered)
- To give permission, power, or the legal right to do something.
- To give someone more confidence and/or strength to do something, often by enabling them to increase their control over their own life or situation.
- It's not enough to give women and minorities equal rights on paper; they need to be empowered to be able to make use of these rights.
- John found that starting up his own business empowered him greatly in social situations.
Antonyms
- (give permission to): ban, bar, forbid, prohibit
- (give confidence to): disempower, dishearten, disspirit
Origin
em- + power
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"empower." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower>.
APA Style
empower. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/empower
Sentence Examples
- I really try in all the books to empower moms to make wise choices for themselves and their babies, instead of laying down rules and methods.
- Purchases of these types of products can empower small farm owners, rewarding their efforts to treat the environment and their workers with well-deserved respect.
- Out of all the Bare Escentuals makeup kits, this one will empower you with the most knowledge and ability to look gorgeous each and every time.
- Through networking and increased awareness, the organization has helped empower cat owners to become active in their communities to protest unfair legislation that targets responsible pet owners.
- Discovering Deaf Worlds is an international nonprofit deaf advocacy organization that strives to help and empower people and communities in developing countries who are deaf and hard of hearing.
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WORDS NEAR empower IN THE DICTIONARY
- empower
- empowered
- empowerer
- empowerers