liberate

verb lib·er·ate \ ˈli-bə-ˌrāt \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

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Examples: liberate in a Sentence

Definition of liberate

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

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liberator

play \ˈli-bə-ˌrā-tər\ noun

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liberatory

play \ˈli-b(ə-)rə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

See liberate defined for English-language learners

See liberate defined for kids

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 of liberate from the Web

Desktop Metal is developing generative design programs, whose evolutionary algorithms can generate new forms for familiar parts, to liberate this innovativeness.

— jason pontin, WIRED, "3D Printing Is the Future of Factories (for Real This Time)," 11 July 2018
Doudalis was among the first U.S. soldiers to liberate the camp, Lacroix said, explaining that his assignment was to photograph the area and then help rescue the camp's prisoners.

— jennifer johnson, ajc, "After 73 years, US World War II veteran awarded France's highest honor for military service," 25 June 2018
Opinion is still divided over whether this change is a cause for concern or a chance for workers to be liberated from the rut of office life.

— The Economist, "The insecurity of freelance work," 14 June 2018
Imagine making a big-budget American film in 2018 in which a main character’s recognition of her subjugated status, her efforts to liberate others in her predicament, and her calls for equality are played for laughs.

— seth masket, Vox, "We need to talk about the woke droid," 1 June 2018
Courtesy of Curtis Chancy The event, solemn and joyous at once, honors soldiers who fought to liberate France and eventually all of Europe in World War II.

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "His great-uncle died at D-Day in Normandy. Now this veteran, and his bandmates, will march there. | Charlotte Observer," 23 May 2018
Through armed resistance, Palestinian factions sought to liberate their homeland and obtain the return that refugees in other conflicts were routinely allowed, and that was guaranteed under international law.

— nathan thrall, Time, "How the Idea of Return Has Shaped the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for 70 Years," 14 May 2018
The march was staged during the premiere for Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun, a war film focusing on a Kurdish battalion of women who escape slavery to become soldiers working to liberate their country from extremists.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "Women march, demand parity at the Cannes Film Festival," 12 May 2018
The battle to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State took its toll, with U.S. air strikes destroying parts of the city and ISIS already having destroyed the rest.

— susan snyder, Philly.com, "An Iraqi man's bond with a Penn State professor started with an email. Then U.S. forces bombed his house.," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liberate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of liberate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1623

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

liberate Synonyms

Phrases

turn loose;

Synonym Discussion of 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

LIBERATE Defined for English Language Learners

liberate

verb

Definition of liberate for English Language Learners

: to free (someone or something) from being controlled by another person, group, etc.
: to give freedom or more freedom to (someone)
: to take or steal (something)