authorize

Compared meaning: to give someone official permission or power (verb).

比较义项：授权，批准某人做某事（动词）。

• authorize 本词

  formal and procedural: someone with official authority grants permission for a specific action, often within rules or policy; common in business, legal and administrative contexts.

  正式且带有程序性：指有正式职权的人就某一具体行为给予许可，常见于规则或制度范围内；多用于商业、法律和行政语境。

  Only the manager can authorize a refund for this purchase.

  只有经理才能批准这笔购买的退款。

• empower

  focuses on giving someone the confidence, ability or right to act independently, often for their own benefit; carries a positive, encouraging tone and is common in education or personal development contexts.

  侧重于赋予某人自主行动的信心、能力或权利，往往是为了对方自身的利益；语气积极、鼓励，常见于教育或个人成长的语境。

  Good teachers empower their students to think for themselves.

  好老师会让学生获得独立思考的能力。

Authorize and empower both mean giving someone permission or power to act. Authorize is formal, meaning someone with official authority approves a specific action, common in business or legal rules. Empower means giving someone confidence or ability to act on their own.

两词都表示正式给予某人权力或许可去做某事，但语气和典型语境不同：authorize 更正式、程序化，常见于制度、规则或职权范围内的批准；empower 更强调赋予他人能力或自信去自主行动，带有积极、鼓励的意味。