Prepositions after verbs

Empower by or empower in?

Empower is commonly used with to plus a verb, or in passive structures with by. Empower in is uncommon and usually refers to a specific area or context.

Quick answer

Which form is correct?

Use empowered by to show the source of strength, authority, or confidence: She felt empowered by the training. Use empower someone in only when referring to a specific area or context, such as decision-making or education. Active empower by is not a standard pattern.

Employees felt empowered by the new policy.
The programme empowers women in rural communities.
The course empowered students to speak confidently.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
empower + person + to + verb

Giving authority or confidence to act

This is the most common structure with empower.

The app empowers users to manage their own data.
The law empowers local councils to regulate traffic.
2
empowered by + source

Showing the source of power or confidence

Use empowered by in passive structures to show what gives support or authority.

She felt empowered by the mentoring programme.
Communities were empowered by better access to information.
3
empower + person + in + area

Referring to a specific area or context

Use empower someone in when talking about a field, process, or sphere of activity.

The workshops empower parents in financial planning.
The initiative empowers citizens in local decision-making.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
empowered by
Staff felt empowered by the flexible policy.
Standard passive pattern showing the source of empowerment.
empower someone in
The charity empowers women in business leadership.
Used for a specific field, role, or context.
empower by
The reforms empower citizens by giving them voting rights.
Here by introduces the method, not a direct verb-preposition pattern. Empower by someone is not standard active usage.
empower someone to
The training empowered her to negotiate confidently.
The most common pattern, showing ability or authority to act.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using empower by as an active pattern

English normally uses empowered by in passive structures or uses by to introduce a method.

✕ The course empowers by technology young learners. ✓ The course empowers young learners through technology. / Young learners are empowered by technology.

Using in without a clear area

Empower in usually needs a field or context.

✕ The programme empowers teenagers in. ✓ The programme empowers teenagers in career planning.

Forgetting the infinitive after empower

Empower is often followed by to plus a verb.

✕ The policy empowered staff making decisions. ✓ The policy empowered staff to make decisions.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The workshops empowered staff ___ make independent decisions.
2. Many employees felt empowered ___ the new leadership.
3. The programme empowers women ___ digital skills.

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Frequently asked questions

Is empower by correct?

Not as a normal active verb-preposition pattern. English usually uses empowered by in passive sentences or uses by to describe a method.

What is the most common structure with empower?

Empower someone to do something is the most common and natural pattern.

Can empower in sound formal?

Yes. Empower someone in a field or process is more formal and less common than empower someone to do something.

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