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Webster 1913 Edition
Empower
Em-pow′er
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Empowered
; p. pr. & vb. n.
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.” Keble.
Webster 1828 Edition
Empower
EMPOW'ER
,Verb.
T.
1.
To give legal or moral power or authority to; to authorize, either by law, commission, letter of attorney, natural right, or by verbal license. The supreme court is empowered to try and decide all cases, civil or criminal. The attorney is empowered to sign an acquittance and discharge the debtor.2.
To give physical power or force; to enable. [In this sense the use is not frequent,and perhaps not used at all.]Definition 2024
empower
empower
English
Alternative forms
Verb
empower (third-person singular simple present empowers, present participle empowering, simple past and past participle empowered)
- (transitive) To give permission, power, or the legal right to do something.
- 1985, William H. Tench, Safety is no accident:
- Regulations have been made under the Civil Aviation Acts of 1949, 1980 and 1982 which empower Inspectors of Accidents to do these things.
-
- (transitive) To give someone more confidence and/or strength to do something, often by enabling them to increase their control over their own life or situation.
- John found that starting up his own business empowered him greatly in social situations.
- 1992, Nick Logan, The Face, page 11-130:
- Musically, what originally attracted me to dance was its shamanist aspects, using natural magic to change people's neurological states and to psychologically empower them.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- (give permission to): ban, bar, forbid, prohibit
- (give confidence to): disempower, dishearten, disspirit
Derived terms
Translations
to give permission to
|
to give confidence and/or strength to
|