empower

Verb
US[im-pou-er]/ɪmˈpaʊɚ/3 syllables
Synonyms: authoriseauthorizeendowinduegiftinvestendue

Open English WordNet

Verb (2)empowered, empowering

  1. give or delegate power or authority to“She authorized her assistant to sign the papers”Synonyms: authoriseauthorizeMore general appoint, chargeMore specific entitle, sanction
  2. give qualities or abilities toSynonyms: endowinduegiftinvestendueMore general enableMore specific cover

Related words gift noun

Word of the day · Sep 29About this word
haphazardadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

Advertisement

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Em·pow′er transitive verb [past tense & past participle Empowered; present participle & verbal noun Empowering.]

1. To give authority to; to delegate power to; to commission; to authorize (having commonly a legal force); as, the Supreme Court is empowered to try and decide cases, civil or criminal; the attorney is empowered to sign an acquittance, and discharge the debtor.

2. To give moral or physical power, faculties, or abilities to. “These eyes... empowered to gaze.” John Keble

3. to enable or permit; to give more opportunity for independent action.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors

Advertisement