empower

American

[em-pou-er] / ɛmˈpaʊ ər /

verb (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.

empower British

/ ɪmˈpaʊə /

verb

to give or delegate power or authority to; authorize
to give ability to; enable or permit

"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

Other Word Forms

empowerment noun
unempowered adjective

Etymology

Origin of empower

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023