as in to liberate
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
under the cover of darkness animal rights activists emancipated the inhabitants of the mink ranch
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Recent Examples of emancipate
Abolitionists, farmers, emancipated Blacks, mechanics, prohibitionists, and populists all used fusion voting during the 19th century to make sure that their voices were heard by their fellow citizens as well as the leaders of this vast, diverse nation.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
The South American liberation leader Simón Bolívar emancipated the slave laborers who worked on his family’s estate—unlike George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
—Book Marks
july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025
On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with news of freedom.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers informed enslaved people in Texas — the last state to enforce slavery — that they’d been emancipated.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for emancipate
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
The South American liberation leader Simón Bolívar emancipated the slave laborers who worked on his family’s estate—unlike George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
—Book Marks
july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025
On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with news of freedom.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers informed enslaved people in Texas — the last state to enforce slavery — that they’d been emancipated.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for emancipate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emancipate
Verb
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Others – like Boris – are liberated by it.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Ozon diverges from the text in a few key places to offer a postcolonial reading of a novel that was published two decades before Algeria liberated itself from French rule.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Of the survivors, Superman works with Raven to find Constantine and help locate Robin, who’s on a quest to free Batman from slavery.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
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His fellow firefighters, including Gallagher —who was injured during the rescue — used extra manpower and tools to free him before he was stabilized at the scene and flown by CareFlite to the hospital, the department said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Tuesday, 85 scientists released a 459-page rebuttal to the DOE report, highlighting a large body of scientific literature pointing to how climate change can exacerbate droughts, floods, crop failures, and other disasters.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
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The panel studying those cases released a report last year describing how the state child welfare agency missed warning signs and failed to protect dozens of children from dying of the illicit drug.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Florida Aquarium has 100 adult corals that were rescued from disease and then rescued from the 2023 marine heat wave.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
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At the time of Sunday’s disaster, the Taliban government was using helicopters to rescue those affected by the quake, as the mountainous terrain and landslides triggered by the natural disaster made providing aid challenging.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Open primaries would enfranchise more than a million New York voters, who are disproportionately young and represent communities of color.—
John Avlon,
New York Daily News,
7 July 2025
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About a year after the infirmary team returned to the United States, the 19th Amendment became law, enfranchising 27 million women, the largest expansion of voting rights in American history.—
Amy Sohn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The two wanted the Power of Veto winner to use the ability to keep Panaro, but instead, the winner saved themselves.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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For engineers and designers, this framework is like giving a GPS map through the complex terrain of foam design—saving months of trial-and-error testing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Burns went on to loosen monetary policy and help the president secure re-election in ’72.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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The texture on the towel will help loosen and remove water spots.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tubman’s father had been manumitted by his owner, but Brodess had inherited Tubman, hiring her and her siblings out to neighbors for seasonal work, whether trapping muskrats or clearing land.—
Casey Cep,
The New Yorker,
24 June 2024
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Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859.—
Harold Holzer,
WSJ,
1 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Emancipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emancipate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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