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liberate Definition

lib·er·ate (lib′ər āt′)

transitive verb -·at′ed, -·at′·ing

  1. to release from slavery, enemy occupation, etc.
  2. Slang to steal or loot, esp. from a defeated enemy in wartime
  3. Chem. to free from combination in a compound

Etymology: < L liberatus, pp. of liberare, to set free, release < liber, free: see liberal

liberate Synonyms

liberate

v.

  1. To free from bondage

    set free, loose, release; see free 1.

  2. To free from chemical or physical restraint

    disengage, render gaseous, extract, separate, aerify, etherify, set free from combination, drive off, purify, gasify, make volatile, sublimate, analyze, catalyze, subject to catalysis, induce catalysis; see also release. See syn. study at free.

liberate Usage Examples

Object

  • mankind: The Prophet Muhammad was sent by God to liberate mankind from the tyranny of other men so that we could all worship God freely.
  • talent: They are designed to liberate the talents of millions of our fellow citizens who are not properly supported by the present rules.
  • humanity: Far from fearing the future, its prophets confidently predict that economic progress will eventually liberate humanity.
  • camp: British veterans who helped to liberate the death camps were also there.
  • creativity: This reverse psychology, for some reason, liberates creativity ( try it for yourself!
  • prisoner: Allied troops captured Dachau concentration camp near Munich in Germany yesterday ( April 30, 1945 ) and liberated the prisoners.

Adjective complement

  • occupied: In June 1963 the NLF was founded at a conference in Sana'a with the aim of liberating Occupied South Yemen from British control.
  • more: In the southwest part of France where no Allied armies have ever fought, they liberated more than seventeen towns.

Modifying Another Word

  • strangely: Far from being claustrophobic, I was beginning to see how this could be a strangely liberating experience.
  • wonderfully: This wonderfully liberating thought occurred to me that I didn't have to play the quiet game.
  • truly: Students who might not feel confident contributing actively in class can find the medium of the web truly liberating.
  • potentially: Arriving at an understanding with the family of the conflicts they are undergoing can be a potentially liberating experience for them.
  • thus: The boy stood for twelve hours in the wind, and sleet, and mud, rejoicing in the conflagration which thus liberated him.
  • quite: The rule book has been thrown out many times, which is quite liberating.

Used with why or when

  • when: But it was so liberating when I found out that there was an answer to every question that I had.

Infinitive complement

  • work: It feels very liberating to work on a larger scale for a change.

Preposition: in

  • way: Very liberating in some ways, but for a new teacher: terrifying!

Preposition: from

  • oppression: And yes, atheism liberated from religious oppression, especially in France in the 1780s.

Preposition: for

  • people: They also promote Special Needs Roadshows " Cycling is liberating for disabled people.
  • parent: Jane Mitra explains that using the Internet can be very liberating for parents with small children.
liberate Quotes

With that stick of matches, with our necklaces, we shall liberate this country.

—Mandela, (Nomzano) Winnie