uhuru
Americannoun
noun
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national independence
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freedom
Usage
What is uhuru? Uhuru is a Swahili term meaning freedom or independence. Uhuru is often used to describe the freedom of a country to govern itself, especially in parts of Africa where Swahili is spoken. In Kenya, uhuru was used frequently in the mid-1900s when Kenya was gaining independence from the United Kingdom. Uhuru is also the first name of Kenya’s fourth president, Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the leader of the Jubilee Party of Kenya’s political system. Example: On Jamhuri Day, Mukondi likes to watch the uhuru parades.
Etymology
Origin of uhuru
C20: from Swahili
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miss Brooks can view black Africa's yearning for uhuru, or independence, from a unique position.
From Time Magazine Archive
"It seemed to us that the men of Africa had won their uhuru," says Barton, "but that for millions of women freedom was still meaningless."
From Time Magazine Archive
A torch was lighted on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and Julius Nyerere became the first East African leader to have achieved uhuru.
From Time Magazine Archive
But Tanganyika had three things working for it that made the country seem ideally suited for uhuru.
From Time Magazine Archive
As Ashanti's output tumbled, the first sub-Saharan colony liberated from colonialism never did live up to Nkrumah's promise that "all else" would follow the act of uhuru, freedom.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
