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

The line-up of speakers at the three-day event included the leaders of Barbados, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Namibia and Liberia, alongside Nigerian Nobel literature prize winner and global rights activist Wole Soyinka.

From Barron's • 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

"In Liberia, during the initial stages people were still in denial and left their community because of the influx of NGOs."

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The world’s worst outbreaks occurred between 2013 and 2016, beginning in Guinea and sweeping through Sierra Leone and Liberia and leading to more than 11,000 deaths.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

In Liberia, I met with President Tubman, who not only gave me five thousand dollars for weapons and training, but said in a quiet voice, “Have you any pocket money?”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela