emancipation

noun

eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: the act or process of emancipating
emancipationist noun

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To emancipate someone (including oneself) is to free them from restraint, control, or the power of another, and especially to free them from bondage or enslavement. It follows that the noun emancipation refers to the act or practice of emancipating. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, for example, ordered that enslaved people living in the Confederate states be released from the bonds of ownership and made free people. It took more than two years for news of the proclamation to reach the enslaved communities in the distant state of Texas. The arrival of the news on June 19 (of 1865) is now celebrated as a national holiday—Juneteenth or Emancipation Day.

Examples of emancipation in a Sentence

a book discussing the role that the emancipation of slaves played in the nation's history
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After Texans learned of emancipation on June 19, 1865, two developments changed the shape of the city: The rise of freedom colonies of independent, land-owning African Americans during the 1860s and '70s, as well as the arrival of the first railroad from Houston on Christmas Day, 1871. Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 But as a marker of emancipation, the day has carried significance for over a century, ever since Union troops rode into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, and declared freedom for all the men, women and children still shackled by slavery. Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 21 June 2025 Others contend the different date is simply a reflection of how learning about Lincoln's executive order of emancipation reached faraway, rural enclaves at times later than Galveston, Texas. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 20 June 2025 Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, 2025, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the U.S. Designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth will close most federal offices, banks, and post offices. Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for emancipation

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emancipation was in 1631

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Cite this Entry

“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

emancipation

noun
eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: gradual separation of an original homogeneous embryo into fields with different specific potentialities for development

Legal Definition

emancipation

noun
eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: the act or process of emancipating

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