liberate

verb

lib·​er·​ate ˈli-bə-ˌrāt 

liberated; liberating

transitive verb

1

: to set at liberty : free

specifically : to free (something, such as a country) from domination by a foreign power

2

: to free from combination

liberate the gas by adding acid

3

: to take or take over illegally or unjustly

material liberated from a nearby construction site

—Thorne Dreyer

liberator

ˈli-bə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

liberatory

ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Synonyms

• discharge
• disenthrall
• disenthral
• emancipate
• enfranchise
• enlarge
• free
• loose
• loosen
• manumit
• release
• spring
• unbind
• uncage
• unchain
• unfetter

Choose the Right Synonym for liberate

free, release, liberate, emancipate, manumit mean to set loose from restraint or constraint.

free implies a usually permanent removal from whatever binds, confines, entangles, or oppresses.

freed the animals from their cages

release suggests a setting loose from confinement, restraint, or a state of pressure or tension, often without implication of permanent liberation.

released his anger on a punching bag

liberate stresses particularly the resulting state of liberty.

liberated their country from the tyrant

emancipate implies the liberation of a person from subjection or domination.

labor-saving devices emancipated us from household drudgery

manumit implies emancipation from slavery.

the document manumitted the slaves

Examples of liberate in a Sentence

Rebels fought to liberate the country.

Soldiers liberated the hostages from their captors.

Laptop computers could liberate workers from their desks.

He was using materials that he had liberated from a construction site.

Recent Examples on the Web

If so, Orsini’s process was similar to that of the Renaissance’s greatest sculptor, Michelangelo, who described his work as liberating figures trapped within the stone. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024

We will be liberated from our reliance on something as fragile as the cultivation of good faith. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Kupiansk came under Russian occupation at the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and was liberated by Ukrainian forces six months later. —Katya Soldak, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

By now, the gas is expanding away at over 20 kilometers a second, but no new material is being liberated from the rock sample. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin liberatus, past participle of liberare, from liber — see liberal entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

liberate

verb

lib·​er·​ate ˈlib-ə-ˌrāt 

liberated; liberating

: to set free

liberator

-ˌrāt-ər 

noun