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
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
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 organization takes care of the back-end logistics, from payroll and setting tuition to lobbying state legislators and navigating local zoning laws, freeing educators to concentrate on their craft.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The kitten was freed from the tire unharmed and reunited with his family.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Baker escorted Skeet to Winkler County jail where he was booked and released on $20,000 bail.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Both were in theatres for only a week or so, before being released on the platform.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And that liberated me, absolutely liberated me.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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In order to win a war—especially a war that threatened the nation’s very existence—the federal government enjoyed plenary power to liberate slaves, as nations at war had commonly done long before the Constitution was drafted and ratified.—
Akhil Reed Amar,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Luckily, since Atom is mechanical and was connected to the Neverland network, Wendy was able to stop him in his tracks and rescue Joe.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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Of the 13 people who were on board, six have been rescued and four are still missing, according to PIA.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the Revolutionary War itself, Britain’s Lord Dunmore had emancipated large numbers of southern slaves as a war measure—a fact well-known in both the 1770s and the 1860s.—
Akhil Reed Amar,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
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Nev, who’s now 17 and emancipated, returns to Avan Island.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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About a year after the infirmary team returned to the United States, the 19th Amendment became law, enfranchising 27 million women, the largest expansion of voting rights in American history.—
Amy Sohn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The Oscar winner, who plays a bus driver who tries to save 22 school children alongside a teacher named Mary (America Ferrera), ultimately agreed to put Levi on tape.—
Andrea Mandell,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
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Dual enrollment allows students to earn college credits while in high school, potentially saving money and time.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manumit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manumit. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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