empower

American  

[em-pou-er] / ɛmˈpaʊ ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to give power pow 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

2. to enable or permit.

   Wealth empowered him to live a comfortable life.

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empower British  

/ ɪmˈpaʊə /

verb

1. to give or delegate power or authority to; authorize

2. to give ability to; enable or permit

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Other Word Forms

• empowerment noun
• unempowered adjective

Etymology

Origin of empower

First recorded in 1645–55; em- ¹ + power

Example Sentences

Individual investors flooded into financial markets last year, buoyed by back-to-back years of strong returns and empowered by expanded access to new assets and product types.

From The Wall Street Journal

This may sound familiar to those who recall the rollout of the health care information website WebMD, which also promised to empower and inform people about their bodies.

From Salon

"The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee," Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, said in a statement on Thursday.

From Barron's

“What I found myself doing most recently is honestly just feeling empowered,” Forté told Martha’s Vineyard Arts and Ideas.

From Los Angeles Times

"It is a statement of intent to empower Scotland's teachers with the time, trust, and tools they need to deliver transformative learning," she added.

From BBC

Related Words

• allow
• entitle
• entrust
• grant
• legitimize
• permit
• vest