freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.
freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.
freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint.
The prisoner soon regained his liberty.
permission granted to a sailor, especially in the navy, to go ashore.
freedom or right to frequent or use a place.
The visitors were given the liberty of the city.
unwarranted or impertinent freedom in action or speech, or a form or instance of it.
to take liberties.
a female figure personifying freedom from despotism.
the power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction
the right or privilege of access to a particular place; freedom
(often plural) a social action regarded as being familiar, forward, or improper
(often plural) an action that is unauthorized or unwarranted in the circumstances
he took liberties with the translation
authorized leave granted to a sailor
( as modifier )
liberty man
liberty boat
free, unoccupied, or unrestricted
to be overfamiliar or overpresumptuous (with)
to venture or presume (to do something)
See freedom.
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English liberte, from Middle French, from Latin lībertāt-, stem of lībertās, equivalent to līber “free” + -tās -ty 2
Liberty is a kind of freedom, whether it's freedom from tyranny, freedom from confinement, or simply the freedom of choice. The phrase "give me liberty or give me death" is attributed to Patrick Henry, whose 1775 speech persuaded the Virginia colony to raise troops to fight the British in the American Revolutionary War. For sailors and naval officers, liberty means shore leave — a brief vacation on land between voyages. We also use this noun to describe the act of getting a little too familiar or personal with someone, or doing something before we have their approval or permission.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. López is a founder of the World Liberty Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"If the government decides, very quickly, to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty... nothing can be done?" the judge asked.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
La Mirada 7, Liberty 6: A three-run seventh inning helped the Matadores enjoy their bus ride home from Bakersfield.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Official figures show there were 364,900 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications in England in 2024-25, with 118,850 still not completed at the end of the year.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
And he held out a postcard of the Statue of Liberty.
From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
