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• liberty
  liberty

  noun

  freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
• Liberty
  Liberty

  noun

  a town in W Missouri.

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To whom is the famous quote "Give me liberty, or give me death" attributed?

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liberty

¹ American  

[lib-er-tee] / ˈlɪb ər ti /

noun

• liberties
  plural

1. 

   freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.

2. freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.

3. freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.

4. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint.

   The prisoner soon regained his liberty.

   Synonyms:

   liberation

5. permission granted to a sailor, especially in the navy, to go ashore.

6. freedom or right to frequent or use a place.

   The visitors were given the liberty of the city.

   Synonyms:

   immunity, privilege, license, permission, franchise

7. unwarranted or impertinent freedom in action or speech, or a form or instance of it.

   to take liberties.

8. a female figure personifying freedom from despotism.

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idioms

1. at liberty,

   1. free from captivity or restraint.

   2. unemployed; out of work.

   3. free to do or be as specified.

      You are at liberty to leave at any time during the meeting.

Liberty ² American  

[lib-er-tee] / ˈlɪb ər ti /

noun

1. a town in W Missouri.

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liberty British  

/ ˈlɪbətɪ /

noun

1. the power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction

2. the right or privilege of access to a particular place; freedom

3. (often plural) a social action regarded as being familiar, forward, or improper

4. (often plural) an action that is unauthorized or unwarranted in the circumstances

   he took liberties with the translation

5. 1. authorized leave granted to a sailor

   2. ( as modifier )

      liberty man

      liberty boat

6. free, unoccupied, or unrestricted

7. to be overfamiliar or overpresumptuous (with)

8. to venture or presume (to do something)

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liberty More Idioms  

1. see at liberty; take the liberty of.

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Synonym Usage

See freedom.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• liberties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of liberty

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English liberte, from Middle French, from Latin lībertāt-, stem of lībertās, equivalent to līber “free” + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

liberty Liberty liberties

Sheriff Morag McLaughlin deferred sentence for a criminal justice social work report and restriction of liberty order assessment.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Despite this, Todner, said Leroy's release conditions were "so stringent, his liberty is restricted".

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Properly interpreted, he declared, the Constitution was “a glorious liberty document.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

County Public Defender’s Office said she was “not at liberty to disclose financial information” but a thorough evaluation of Burke’s finances confirmed he was eligible for the services of the public defender’s office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

Some delegates, like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, thought that slavery itself would eventually die out as the ideals of liberty and freedom behind the Revolution took hold in America.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was the most heavily impacted by today's air traffic control disruptions, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Sun has since sued World Liberty over alleged fraud, a suit the company has called meritless.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The government initially took control of SSUK, previously part of Liberty Steel, last year after it was forced to liquidate by the High Court.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

D’Amelio most recently served as chief innovation officer for the New York Liberty, where he worked across basketball operations, health and performance, analytics and applied sciences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Some of these Sons and Daughters of Liberty would become part of the spy network that helped win the Revolutionary War.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

He found that African-Americans exercised their newfound liberties by participating in public life, earning money through a variety of jobs, and buying property.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

You may not get everything you want, but we should all agree that the civil rights and liberties the founding fathers sought to enshrine in our Constitution must be defended.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

An accuracy check on that Bourdain biopic: We’ve mentioned here before that Slate’s movie critic loved Tony—but how true is the film, and what liberties did it take with the facts?

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Patterson and editor Patrick J. Smith interweave scenes of intrigue and shocking violence, take liberties with Amziah’s storytelling asides and give us barn-burning musical sequences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The deliberate emphasis, the deepened voice, meant that Richard was not part of we; a visitor could not take the liberties of the homeowners.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie