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to empower

to empower

157 4.2
Give someone the power and confidence to do something
  • verb
  • /ɪmˈpaʊər/
translation icon : empoderar
  • The organization aims to empower local communities by providing them with the necessary resources and training.
  • empower students
  • mobilize and empower
  • empower patients

And my hope is to empower people to do great things.

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Examples

  • To achieve this, we have to design instruction that requires and empowers students to make musical decisions.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Students may feel empowered through the personal and confidential conversations they have with mentors.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And my hope is to empower people to do great things.

  • You can return home and empower yourself in some way.

  • You know, I want to empower others to empower others to be happy.

  • And we allowed ourselves, the city, to empower the community.

  • The ultimate goal of music education is to empower our students to continue active musical involvement as adults.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Maybe she's trying to empower and encourage women.

  • The teachers in the first two vignettes may have tried to empower students by making their differences known.

    Academic text (2011)
  • In today's America, technology empowers the public in nearly everything they do.

Synonyms

to authorize
vsto empower
489 4.4

To give official permission for someone to do something

also adds confidence and personal ability not only formal permission
to enable
vsto empower
459 2.3

To give someone the ability or chance to do something

gives authority or confidence in addition to practical means
to invest
vsto empower
  • Formal
85 6.2

To give someone official power or a job, often in a ceremony

is broader and includes informal granting of power or confidence
to embolden
vsto empower
40 6.3

To give someone courage to do something

adds authority or formal power as well as confidence
to endow
vsto empower
  • Formal
34 4.9

To give someone a particular quality or ability

focuses on giving power or permission to act not just qualities
to endue
vsto empower
  • Archaic
9.9

Give a person or thing a special quality like an ability

is about granting capacity to act now rather than merely supplying traits

Antonyms

To make someone have less power or confidence to control their own life

Phrasal Verbs

To give young people confidence and chances to make decisions

How Empowering

to liberate
104 4.3
to authorize
489 4.4
to empower
157 4.2
to embolden
40 6.3
to enable
459 2.3
to allow
1.0

Surface Forms

empower infinitive
empowered past
empowered past participle
empowering present participle
empowers third person singular

Morphology

empower = power (transparent) = em + power

The word 'empower' is transparently derived from 'power' with the prefix 'em-' indicating 'to put into' or 'to make'.

Etymology

The word empower comes from the small prefix em- meaning 'in' or 'make', added to the familiar word power, so it literally means 'to put power into' someone. That's why to empower someone is to give them the power, confidence, or right to act.