verb · neutral
empower
UK/ɪmˈpaʊə(r)/US/ɪmˈpaʊər/em·POW·er
Band 7+speakingtask2
to give someone the authority or ability to do something
Examples
“Community programs can empower young people to participate in decision-making.”
“In Speaking Part 1, you can say how education empowered you to choose a career.”
“Policies that empower employees often improve productivity and morale.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policies that empower local communities to manage natural resources tend to be more sustainable.”
Collocations
- empower someone to do something
- empower communities/women
Word family
empowerment n
Common mistakes
use 'allow' for formal contexts only→empower
Say it for a higher band
5allow→6enable→7+empower
Synonyms
enable
authorize
Easily confused
enable
“Training programs enable workers to use new software.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 7
Learn it with its set