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
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
No evidence exists to suggest Kirby Smith did manumit him.
—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 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
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
No evidence exists to suggest Kirby Smith did manumit him.
—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 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
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The men were freed after prosecutors agreed to vacate their convictions in 2014.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
16 May 2025
-
Wirtz’s potency in the final third would attract attention and could free up Pep Guardiola’s talented front line.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
This practice involves buzzing next to flowers whose pollen is only released when there is a powerful air current next to their anthers so that pollen can be released to the adjacent female stigmas, facilitating pollination.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
10 May 2025
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Parliament enacted the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, which was meant to ensure that the king released prisoners when the law did not justify confining them.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
Verb
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Audiences had to liberate a cadre of musicians from hypnosis and do so by concocting scenarios in which the club’s proprietor was continually forced to leave the room.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2025
-
Do what creatively liberates you, don’t cater to the data!—
Elias Leight,
Billboard,
6 May 2025
Verb
-
Sandra Oh and more, the new Smurfs will follow the residents of Smurf Village banding together to rescue Papa Smurf after he is captured by an evil wizard.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 May 2025
-
The Browns may have an opportunity to rescue themselves from a similar abyss.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 May 2025
-
Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19, marks the day the last of the enslaved Americans learned they had been emancipated.—
Cheyanne M. Daniels,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Some other states specifically prohibit localities from enfranchising noncitizens.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
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Thus enfranchised, Hackman took on Richard Harris’ elegant killer English Bob with gusto, mixing in a bravura oratorical gavotte with ample kicks to the ribs, and summoning the Best Supporting Actor trophy.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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To say that is an insult to the years of painful work my wife has done to save herself.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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America’s millionaires are now mostly on the coasts, in states with expensive real estate and high income jobs that generate more possibilities to save and invest.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manumit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manumit. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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