empower
Americanverb (used with object)
-
empowers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
empowered,
past participle, past
-
empowering
present participle
-
to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means.
I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. The local ordinance empowers the board of health to close unsanitary restaurants.
- Synonyms:
- qualify, license, commission, warrant
-
to enable or permit.
Wealth empowered him to live a comfortable life.
verb
-
to give or delegate power or authority to; authorize
-
to give ability to; enable or permit
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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empowersimple
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empowerssimple
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have empoweredperfect
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has empoweredperfect
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am empoweringprogressive
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are empoweringprogressive
-
is empoweringprogressive
-
have been empoweringperfect progressive
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has been empoweringperfect progressive
Past
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empoweredsimple
-
had empoweredperfect
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was empoweringprogressive
-
were empoweringprogressive
-
had been empoweringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of empower
Explanation
Empower means "give power or authority to." When you educate children and believe in them, you empower those kids to go after their dreams. Empower might seem like a new word, but it's been around since the 17th century. Today, empower often refers to helping someone realize their abilities and potential, perhaps for the first time. For example, in the 1960s, when women felt like second-class citizens, the women's movement empowered them to stand up and demand their equal rights.
Vocabulary lists containing empower
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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"Hip-Hop as Culture" and "I Am Somebody"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I like how Estuardo is trying to empower us,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
She now works to empower other women after setting up the charity Women's Health Hope.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Second, Congress should explicitly empower federal courts to set aside any action a commission takes while inquorate.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Used wisely, it can free time for family and community, help people learn faster, bridge languages and cultures, assist the elderly, empower the disabled, and give isolated people new ways to participate in civic life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
This new initiative would be composed of American trailblazers in women’s sports who embody and support the secretary and department’s efforts to empower women and girls globally through sport.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
She added: "The new uniform empowers girls and volunteers to embrace their individuality."
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
"We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere," an OpenAI spokesperson said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
“What’s important about this acquisition is that it empowers Cursor to develop its own internal models further,” Dayaratna said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026
It is the same mechanism that empowers Elon Musk to become the world’s first trillionaire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Today, art historians like to say that Les Demoiselles empowers viewers, which is what they say about the Mona Lisa too—they mean that both paintings are open to interpretation.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
After all, the very nature of how Green Lanterns obtain their superhuman abilities involves cosmically empowered rings choosing their wearers.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Grande reassured fans that the decision came from a "thoughtful, empowered place", and had been planned "a long time ago".
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
But they also found practical accommodations that could make clinical care feel safer and more empowered.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
She made the decision from a “thoughtful and empowered place,” the 33-year-old singer said later at her concert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But on this night, surrounded by friends and empowered by the confessional tone of the speech, he can’t help himself.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
In my fifth decade, I’d found a web-learning technique that was workable and empowering.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
On the whole, this looks to be a positive inflection point in our political leadership, empowering a new generation of leaders advocating needed changes in the government’s relationship with its constituents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They include digital customer experience, which Pavlovich oversees, as well as merchandising intelligence, empowering the staff and optimizing the supply chain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He added: "Razwan went to Erdington Academy and now he's a successful businessman, so he makes me realise I can be successful as well. It's empowering."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“You can’t let what other people think about you bother you; you’ll never be happy if you do. Turning an insult into something you embrace is a good way of empowering yourself.”
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
