liberation

noun

lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən 

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

ˌli-bə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

Synonyms of liberation

• emancipation

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

For the Kurdish liberation movement, reproduction is not a matter of individual rights like in Western feminism; rather the female body is a sovereign zone of political warfare. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026

Furani deemed the current state of affairs a natural consequence of Zionist nationalism, and invited Walzer to flee the sinking ship of Zionism and board the ark of Islam and Palestinian liberation. — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026

During the Cold War, Washington cast itself as the defender of the free world against totalitarian domination; Moscow portrayed itself as the patron of national liberation against Western colonialism. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

The tapes were hidden for decades after the 1996 overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and a leader of the African liberation movement. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liberacion "deliverance," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "action of freeing," borrowed from Latin līberātiōn-, līberātiō "setting free, release, acquittal," from līberāre "to give free status to (a slave), release" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at liberate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing liberation

• liberation theology

Rhymes for liberation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

liberation

noun

lib·​er·​a·​tion ˌlib-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: the act of liberating : the state of being liberated

2

: a movement seeking equal rights for a group