liberation

noun

lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce liberation (audio)
1
: the act of liberating : the state of being liberated
2
: a movement seeking equal rights and status for a group
women's liberation
liberationist noun

Examples of liberation in a Sentence

The liberation of the city took weeks. the liberation of the slaves was one of the key results of the Civil War
Recent Examples on the Web In addition to filling the void created by the barriers of language, Justen employs the history of Black vocal traditions to communicate resistance and liberation. Okla Jones, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023 Spectacle and spectatorship, cruelty and liberation are embedded in a scene poised on the brink of an individual soul’s ultimate destiny. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 As a result, many of the classic comic-book superheroes remain, even now, decades away from the public domain, decades away from liberation from corporate rights holders. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023 Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; DxE; Getty Images In recent years, the animal liberation group Direct Action Everywhere has carried out some of the most brazen and tech-savvy operations and investigations to ever target the animal agriculture industry. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 8 Nov. 2023 Even though the tie between Black liberation and Palestinian solidarity is long and unwavering, what has been playing out on our timelines in the past few weeks has shown that little has been learned from that history. Brea Baker, refinery29.com, 6 Nov. 2023 Within the military establishment, there is concern that Israel’s goals will be blurred if Mr. Netanyahu follows through on his promise on Wednesday to simultaneously seek the liberation of all the hostages while also attempting to destroy Hamas. Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023 In April 2022, after the liberation of the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where Russian forces allegedly committed atrocities, Navalny noted that even in Ukraine, there were signs of the Kremlin’s animosity toward him. David M. Herszenhorn, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 The liberation of Palestinians is commonly used by terrorists and left- and right-wing extremists to mean expunging Israel from the map. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 7 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liberation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of liberation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near liberation

Cite this Entry

“Liberation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberation. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

liberation

noun
lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌlib-ə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce liberation (audio)
1
: the act of liberating : the state of being liberated
2
: a movement seeking equal rights for a group

More from Merriam-Webster on liberation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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