as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
though he was an outspoken defender of liberty, this son of Virginia did not manumit his own slaves until he was on his deathbed
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Recent Examples of manumit
Now manumitted from the shackles of Musk leadership, Zelikman is imagining an AI beyond such chatbots as Grok.
—
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026
While the total number of persons emancipated under Friend’s guidance remains unclear, just imagine what the United States would have looked like by the late eighteenth century if all the spiritual leaders in the country had required their congregants to manumit their enslaved laborers.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Nathaniel Daniel had inherited Abby Guy and manumitted her, but his brother William claimed her as property after his death.
—Brooke Greenberg, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2026
Tubman’s father had been manumitted by his owner, but Brodess had inherited Tubman, hiring her and her siblings out to neighbors for seasonal work, whether trapping muskrats or clearing land.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859.
—Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024
In one county, not a single enslaved person was manumitted in 1859.
—John Reeves, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
Some states, like the state of Georgia, passed expulsion laws that required blacks who were manumitted to leave the state within a year of their emancipation.
—Tera W. Hunter, The Root, 15 May 2018
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026
While the total number of persons emancipated under Friend’s guidance remains unclear, just imagine what the United States would have looked like by the late eighteenth century if all the spiritual leaders in the country had required their congregants to manumit their enslaved laborers.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Nathaniel Daniel had inherited Abby Guy and manumitted her, but his brother William claimed her as property after his death.
—Brooke Greenberg, Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2026
Tubman’s father had been manumitted by his owner, but Brodess had inherited Tubman, hiring her and her siblings out to neighbors for seasonal work, whether trapping muskrats or clearing land.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859.
—Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024
In one county, not a single enslaved person was manumitted in 1859.
—John Reeves, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
Some states, like the state of Georgia, passed expulsion laws that required blacks who were manumitted to leave the state within a year of their emancipation.
—Tera W. Hunter, The Root, 15 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manumit
Verb
-
People both young and old, lonely and less lonely, those blessed with a family home, and even couples freed up the tram for us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Lilia, her mother and her aunt try to free a bird that has made its way into the house.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cause of the issue In a post-flight analysis of the Artemis 1 heat shield, NASA identified more than 100 locations where ablative thermal protective material was liberated during Orion's speedy reentry.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
But until that moment arrives, reactions of all kinds will occur, continuing to liberate energy.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But its last shutdown plan, released in late September, indicates that 91% of its employees would continue to work without pay.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
On day four of the search, the Guthrie siblings released a video on social media.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
An 80-year-old has been identified as the man who died in a hospital after he and a woman were rescued from a house fire in Northwest Dallas on Wednesday.—
Timia Cobb
Breaking News Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Their technician even falls over after rescuing Andersson with a replacement ski.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The actress would go on to struggle with addiction issues and in February 1991, emancipated herself at the age of 14.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
-
All the black captives in liberated territories were emancipated, and Amador was proclaimed king.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, which enfranchised formerly enslaved men, seemingly brought the push for voting rights to fruition.—
Time,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Open primaries would enfranchise more than a million New York voters, who are disproportionately young and represent communities of color.—
John Avlon,
New York Daily News,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
But his late-season move to the bullpen might have saved the whole year for him.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Our signature take on this classic dip ditches frozen spinach for fresh, which has both a better flavor and color, but also saves time.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manumit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manumit. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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