liberate

verb lib·er·ate \ ˈli-bə-ˌrāt \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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

For others, the music inspired them to endure until the camps were liberated by Allied Forces.

— greg garrison, AL.com, "Holocaust violins come to life in Birmingham," 11 Apr. 2018
Hertsberg still vividly remembers some of her experiences in the Stutthof Concentration Camp from Oct. 1941 until she was liberated by the Soviet army in 1944.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Deerfield senior living facility home to 6 Holocaust survivors: 'It should never be forgotten'," 9 Apr. 2018
Your charge is to fight to liberate the American frontier from the murderous cult, and your compatriots are the people Far Cry 5 imagines populate rural Montana: eccentric hunters, doomsday preppers, and gun-toting preachers.

— julie muncy, WIRED, "All Games Are Illusions, But Far Cry 5 Is Nothing More," 9 Apr. 2018
From there, the game expands in wildly creative fashion, eventually becoming an unlikely hero’s journey to liberate victims of corporate oppression.

— nick statt, The Verge, "Minit is a beautifully crafted love letter to classic games and the art of death," 7 Apr. 2018
Evan's experience has been liberating for his family as well.

— shondiin silversmith, azcentral, "Confronting the past: A young man tries to understand the lynching of his great-grandfather," 4 Apr. 2018
Fearing execution, Van Hulst went into hiding until the Netherlands was liberated by Allied forces in May. After the war, Van Hulst turned to politics.

— ellie silverman, latimes.com, "Dutch schoolteacher who saved hundreds of Jewish children during Holocaust dies at 107," 4 Apr. 2018
Being out both personally and professionally is liberating.

— gerren keith gaynor, The Root, "Don Lemon Helped Me Come Out to My Mother and It Changed My Life Forever," 3 Apr. 2018
First was the mastery of fire, which allowed us to liberate energy from the sun by burning plants.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Meet Vaclav Smil, the man who has quietly shaped how the world thinks about energy," 21 Mar. 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

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)