Liberia

American  

[lahy-beer-ee-uh] / laɪˈbɪər i ə /

noun

1. a republic in West Africa: founded in 1822 by freeborn and formerly enslaved Black people from the United States. About 43,000 sq. mi. (111,000 sq. km). Monrovia.

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Liberia British  

/ laɪˈbɪərɪə /

noun

1. a republic in W Africa, on the Atlantic: originated in 1822 as a home for freed Afro-American slaves, with land purchased by the American Colonization Society; republic declared in 1847; exports are predominantly rubber and iron ore. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority, also animist. Currency: dollar. Capital: Monrovia. Pop: 3 989 703 (2013 est). Area: 111 400 sq km (43 000 sq miles)

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Liberia Cultural  

1. Republic in western Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, the Ivory Coast to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.

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Discover More

The American Colonization Society began settlement of black Americans, most of them freed slaves, in 1822. Eventually, 15,000 blacks emigrated to Liberia.

A civil war that commenced in 1989 and that lasted until the mid-1990s claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Other Word Forms

• Liberian
  adjective
• anti-Liberian
  adjective
• pro-Liberian
  adjective
• trans-Liberian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Liberia

First recorded in 1825–30; from Latin līber “free” + -ia ( def. )

Example Sentences

"In that time, it spread from Guinea, to Sierra Leone to Liberia, three different countries quickly. The horse had bolted, the fire was raging," he said, adding many health workers were among the victims.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

Alphonso Davies, captain of co-hosts Canada, spent his early years in a Ghanaian refugee camp after his parents fled Liberia, which like Sierra Leone was devastated by civil war during the 1990s and early 2000s.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

Or forwards Tim Weah, the Brooklyn-born son of the former president of Liberia, and Alejandro Zendejas, who was born in Mexico but became a U.S. citizen at 13 after his father was naturalized.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

It’s a different strain than the Zaire ebolavirus, which caused a massive outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone that began in 2013.

From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026

Doe was a member of the Krahn tribe, a tiny ethnic group that composed just 4 percent of the population, far less than the larger tribes in Liberia, the Gio and the Mano.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John