empower

empower — verb

1. to officially give a person or organization the legal right or permission to tak

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to officially give a person or organization the legal right or permission to take a particular action

Example

The constitution empowers the president to veto any bill passed by Congress.

empower + person + to-infinitive

A new regulation empowers local health officers to shut down restaurants that break safety rules.

Common collocations
  • empower the committee
  • empower local authorities
  • empower the president
  • empower citizens to vote
  • empower the agency to act
Synonyms
  • authorize

    more formal, implies official approval in writing

  • entitle

    focuses on having a legal or moral right to something

  • commission

    appoints someone to a specific task or role, often paid

Antonyms
  • prevent

    stops someone from acting rather than allowing action

  • forbid

    stronger and explicitly prohibits an action

Grammar Patterns

empower + person/organization + to-infinitive

be empowered + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Often used in legal, political, or organizational contexts. The direct object is normally a person, group, or institution, followed by a to-infinitive clause that specifies the action authorized.

Common Mistakes

The law empowered that the council can make decisions.
The law empowered the council to make decisions.
'empower' requires a direct object before the to-infinitive; it cannot be followed directly by a that-clause.

2. to help someone gain confidence, strength, and the ability to take control of th

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to help someone gain confidence, strength, and the ability to take control of their own life and make their own decisions

Example

The training program aims to empower young women to start their own businesses.

empower + person + to-infinitive

What empowered Joaquín most was the supportive network of fellow artists in his community.

Common collocations
  • empower women
  • empower communities
  • empower individuals
  • empower students
  • empower people to act
  • feel empowered
  • empower the next generation
Synonyms
  • enable

    more practical — focuses on providing the means or opportunity

  • encourage

    softer — means to give support or hope without transferring authority

  • embolden

    stronger — implies giving someone courage to act, often despite fear

Antonyms
  • discourage

    reduces confidence or enthusiasm

  • disempower

    direct antonym — takes away someone's sense of power or control

Grammar Patterns

empower + person/group + to-infinitive

feel empowered + to-infinitive

be empowered + by + noun phrase

Usage Note

Common in education, social work, personal development, and community organizing. Frequently appears in passive constructions (feel empowered, be empowered) where the emphasis is on the person's internal sense of capability rather than external authority.

Common Mistakes

She empowered herself from reading books.
Reading books made her feel empowered.
'empower' is normally used transitively with an external agent giving confidence, not reflexively with 'from.'

Word family

  • empowerment
    nounB2
  • empowering
    adjectiveB2
  • empowered
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

Enable focuses on giving someone the practical means or opportunity to do something ('A scholarship enables a student to attend university'), whereas empower emphasizes giving someone a deeper sense of authority and control over their own life. Encourage is gentler, meaning to give support, hope, or confidence without transferring authority. Embolden is stronger — it means to make someone bold enough to act, especially when facing fear. Strengthen is the most general and can refer to physical, emotional, or structural improvement. For example, a supportive friend encourages you to try something new, and one success emboldens you to tackle bigger challenges, but a mentorship program empowers you to take full ownership of your career path.

enable ↗encourage ↗emboldenstrengthen ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be empowered to
  • feel empowered by

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Empower comes from the prefix en- ('to put into' or 'to cause to be') combined with the noun power, which entered English through Old French poeir, from Latin posse meaning 'to be able.' The word first appeared in the mid-1600s with a legal meaning — to give someone the authority to act. Starting in the 1970s, a second sense emerged in social movements, education, and therapy, shifting the focus from external authority to internal confidence and self-determination.