disempower

[ dis-em-pou-er ]

/ ˌdɪs ɛmˈpaʊ ər /

Save This Word!

verb (used with object)

to deprive of influence, importance, etc.: Voters feel they have become disempowered by recent political events.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of disempower

First recorded in 1805–15; dis-¹ + empower

OTHER WORDS FROM disempower

dis·em·pow·er·ment, noun

Words nearby disempower

disembogue, disembosom, disembowel, disembroil, disemploy, disempower, disemvowel, disenable, disenamor, disenchant, disenchanted

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use disempower in a sentence

We must inspire and grow the participation of fair-minded voters especially in places where we have seen aggressive tactics to silence and disempower our communities.
LGBTQ candidates, allies win across the country on Election Day|Brody Levesque|November 9, 2022|Washington Blade
There are emotional reactions that empower you and those that disempower you.
How Our Minds Keep Our Emotions From Getting Out of Control|Leonard Mlodinow|January 20, 2022|Time
This, critics say, is what happens when you disempower the police, remove them from dominion over any and everything in a geographic area.
The Intersection Where George Floyd Died Has Become a Strange, Sacred Place. Will Its Legacy Endure?|Janell Ross/Minneapolis|April 16, 2021|Time
He and other Republicans are cynically using the rhetoric of disempowerment to stoke a sense of victimization in conservative voters to justify actual efforts to disempower countless others through voter suppression.
Josh Hawley’s ugly rant unmasks the fraudulence of the anti-‘wokeness’ crusade|Greg Sargent|April 9, 2021|Washington Post

He could use the filibusterproof reconciliation process to cut all of its spending, and effectively disempower the legislation.
9 Best Reads on Obamacare Ruling|Alexander Klein|June 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for disempower

disempower

/ (ˌdɪsɪmˈpaʊə) /

verb

(tr) to deprive (a person) of power or authority

Derived forms of disempower

disempowerment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012