empower
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has empoweredperfect 3rd person singular
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have empoweredperfect
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is empoweringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are empoweringprogressive
-
empowerssingular 3rd person
-
empoweringparticiple
-
am empoweringprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been empoweringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been empoweringperfect progressive
Past
-
had empoweredperfect
-
had been empoweringperfect progressive
-
was empoweringprogressive singular
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empoweredparticiple
-
were empoweringprogressive plural
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empoweredsimple
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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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.
