empowerment
Britishnoun
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the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization
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the giving of an ability; enablement or permission
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(in South Africa) a policy of providing special opportunities in employment, training, etc for Black people and others disadvantaged under apartheid
Explanation
Empowerment is the power granted by one person or institution to another. The government can grant empowerment to a department to effect change, or a person can grant empowerment to her lawyer to sign contracts on her behalf. In the US of the 1950s and 60s, there were a number of groups that sought empowerment against oppression. Some of these included the Civil Rights Movement, led by a number of powerful members including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During this period, César Chávez worked for the rights of Latinos and farm workers. There were a number of other empowerment movements as well, each working to gain power for an oppressed group.
Vocabulary lists containing empowerment
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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Peace Corps Lingo
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Where Wolves Don't Die
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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.
The government subsequently introduced its English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to deliver its manifesto commitment to:
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
The California Youth Empowerment Network sponsored a “youth-led bus stop campaign featuring vibrant, stigma-free posters that connected youth experiencing housing insecurity to essential resources, including food and shelters.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026
Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, said on Wednesday that "there are no plans to stop it".
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
Kim Floren, who serves as director of the Justice Empowerment Network, which provides funds and practical support to help South Dakota patients receive abortion care, expressed disbelief in the state’s official figures.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025
Progress had been made under his leadership; Baltimore had been named an Empowerment Zone by President Clinton in 1994.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
