liberate

[ lib-uh-reyt ]
See synonyms for: liberateliberatedliberatingliberator on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),lib·er·at·ed, lib·er·at·ing.
  1. to set free, as from imprisonment or bondage.

  2. to free (a nation or area) from control by a foreign or oppressive government.

  1. to free (a group or individual) from social or economic constraints or discrimination, especially arising from traditional role expectations or bias.

  2. to disengage; set free from combination, as a gas.

  3. Slang. to steal or take over illegally: The soldiers liberated a consignment of cigarettes.

Origin of liberate

1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin līberātus (past participle of līberāre “to free”), equivalent to līberā- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix. See liberal, -ate1

synonym study For liberate

1. See release.

Other words for liberate

Opposites for liberate

Other words from liberate

  • lib·er·a·tive, lib·er·a·to·ry [lib-er-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ˈlɪb ər əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective
  • lib·er·a·tor, noun
  • pre·lib·er·ate, verb (used with object), pre·lib·er·at·ed, pre·lib·er·at·ing.
  • re·lib·er·ate, verb (used with object), re·lib·er·at·ed, re·lib·er·at·ing.
  • un·lib·er·at·ed, adjective

Words Nearby liberate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use liberate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for liberate

liberate

/ (ˈlɪbəˌreɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to give liberty to; make free

  2. to release (something, esp a gas) from chemical combination during a chemical reaction

  1. to release from occupation or subjugation by a foreign power

  2. to free from social prejudices or injustices

  3. euphemistic, or facetious to steal

Derived forms of liberate

  • liberator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012