Definition of manumitnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb manumit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of manumit are emancipate, free, liberate, and release. While all these words mean "to set loose from restraint or constraint," manumit implies emancipation from slavery.

the document manumitted the slaves

When would emancipate be a good substitute for manumit?

The words emancipate and manumit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, emancipate implies the liberation of a person from subjection or domination.

labor-saving devices emancipated us from household drudgery

Where would free be a reasonable alternative to manumit?

Although the words free and manumit have much in common, free implies a usually permanent removal from whatever binds, confines, entangles, or oppresses.

freed the animals from their cages

When is liberate a more appropriate choice than manumit?

The synonyms liberate and manumit are sometimes interchangeable, but liberate stresses particularly the resulting state of liberty.

liberated their country from the tyrant

In what contexts can release take the place of manumit?

The meanings of release and manumit largely overlap; however, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of manumit After the war, some Black Continental soldiers were manumitted; many, however, were not. Arthur Krystal, New Yorker, 25 May 2026 Now manumitted from the shackles of Musk leadership, Zelikman is imagining an AI beyond such chatbots as Grok. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026 While the total number of persons emancipated under Friend’s guidance remains unclear, just imagine what the United States would have looked like by the late eighteenth century if all the spiritual leaders in the country had required their congregants to manumit their enslaved laborers. Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026 Nathaniel Daniel had inherited Abby Guy and manumitted her, but his brother William claimed her as property after his death. Brooke Greenberg, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2026 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 Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859. Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024 In one county, not a single enslaved person was manumitted in 1859. John Reeves, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manumit
Verb
  • Instead, Meledandri freed filmmakers and animators to make movies about antic antiheroes.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 June 2026
  • The group issued a point-by-point analysis of the memorandum, criticizing it for potentially freeing up tens of billions of dollars for Iran without putting sufficient safeguards to ensure the country won’t use the money to fund operations against the United States.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Harvard’s research confirms that AI liberates managers from coordination and relay tasks, freeing them for judgment, contextual intelligence, and human connection that no system can replicate.
    Brett Hurt, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • He is liberated from the constraints of [Republican leaders like] a Paul Ryan or a Mitch McConnell.
    Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy was planned for Saturday and additional information will be released Monday.
    Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 20 June 2026
  • Los Angeles police Friday released bodycam footage of an officer killing a woman’s pet dog in a case that has sparked outrage and questions.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • Two roofs collapsed at the Park Place Apartments in the town of Newburgh, trapping a woman who had to be rescued by emergency officials, Wilder said.
    Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 22 June 2026
  • Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff's office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • Finally, David ends the episode with a discussion of Shakespeare’s Othello and how ancient plays can emancipate readers from some of their modern prejudices.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
  • The long shadow of the occupation Twenty-three years after George Bush and Tony Blair resolved that Iraqis were to be emancipated, the country remains captive to a masquerade of power.
    Nabil Salih, Time, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • The state is an outlier in taking days to count most votes, but supporters of the system say it is designed to enfranchise more people while protecting against fraud.
    Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 6 June 2026
  • The Radical Republican Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, as Michael Waldman writes in The Fight to Vote, was even blunter than Sumner about the necessity of enfranchising Black men.
    Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • According to the Northwestern Mutual survey, nearly three-quarters of Gen Z already have saved more than one year of income toward retirement.
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 21 June 2026
  • Clark had a collection of par saves around the turn as Scottie Scheffler was making a move and poured it on with a fairway metal to get within four feet for eagle on the par-five 16th for an even-par 70 that gave him a six-shot lead.
    Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Manumit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manumit. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster