take liberties
idiom
1
disapproving
: to make important changes to something
—usually + with
I think the movie takes too many liberties with the original story.
2
old-fashioned
: to be informal and friendly toward someone in a way that is not proper
—usually + with
He was accused of taking liberties with several young women.
Examples of take liberties in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If opposing teams take liberties with the Sharks’ best young players, there has to be a response.
—
Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024
That’s why the show, directed by Oliver Hermanus, can take liberties with Mary, who was not quite the architect of George’s life portrayed in the show.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
But Jane Austen adaptations take liberties all the time.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 July 2022
Directly after The Slaughterhouse Cases, the court began to interpret the idea that liberty could not be taken away without due process to mean that the government couldn’t take liberties away unreasonably — and hence substantive due process was born.
—Kenji Yoshino, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2022
The various adaptations take liberties that push them in various storytelling directions.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2022
Some keyboards take liberties with the traditional layouts.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 28 Mar. 2022
Did the artist who carved the cross also take liberties, which only informed Nahuas would grasp?
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2021
Books are often better than their movie adaptations, and movies take liberties.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2021
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Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024
That’s why the show, directed by Oliver Hermanus, can take liberties with Mary, who was not quite the architect of George’s life portrayed in the show.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 June 2024
But Jane Austen adaptations take liberties all the time.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 July 2022
Directly after The Slaughterhouse Cases, the court began to interpret the idea that liberty could not be taken away without due process to mean that the government couldn’t take liberties away unreasonably — and hence substantive due process was born.
—Kenji Yoshino, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2022
The various adaptations take liberties that push them in various storytelling directions.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2022
Some keyboards take liberties with the traditional layouts.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 28 Mar. 2022
Did the artist who carved the cross also take liberties, which only informed Nahuas would grasp?
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2021
Books are often better than their movie adaptations, and movies take liberties.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Take liberties.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20liberties. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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