liberate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin līberātus, past participle of līberō (“to set free, deliver”), from līber (“free”); see liberal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɪbəɹeɪt/
• Hyphenation: lib‧er‧ate

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

liberate (third-person singular simple present liberates, present participle liberating, simple past and past participle liberated)

1. (transitive) To set free, to make or allow to be free, particularly
   1. To release from slavery: to manumit.
   2. To release from servitude or unjust rule.
   3. To release from restraint or inhibition.
      • 1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:

        Jeeves: Foreign travel often liberates emotions best kept in check, sir. The air of North America is notoriously stimulating in this regard, as witness the regrettable behavior of its inhabitants in 1776.
        B. Wooster: Hm? What happened in 1776, Jeeves?
        Jeeves: I prefer not to dwell on it, if it's convenient to you, sir.

      You need to free your mind and liberate yourself from prejudice.

   4. (chemistry) To release from chemical bonds or solutions.

      Since the procedure liberates a large amount of chlorine gas, a powerful ventilation system is recommended.

2. (transitive, military, euphemistic) To acquire from an enemy during wartime, used especially of cities, regions, and other population centers.
3. (transitive, euphemistic) To acquire from another by theft or force: to steal, to rob.
   • 1969, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Government Operations. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Riots, Civil and Criminal Disorders, page 3796:

     I had proven myself, when I was required to liberate (steal) dynamite, steal cars for robberies, and to perform disciplinary action against party members.

   • 1986, Jack Hemingway, Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman: My Life with and Without Papa, page 158:

     For expedience, he intended to use his talents to liberate a few choice bottles from the wine cellars without going through the difficulty of a formal requisition.

   • 2014, Collin Wilcox, Doctor, Lawyer:

     He was trying to liberate some funds for the revolution from a liquor store, and he got caught. It was his first time out, and he got flat-ass caught.

   We didn't need IDs. We just liberated these beers from the back of the shop.

Synonyms

• befree, free, set free

Related terms

• liberation
• liberator

Translations

Further reading

• “liberate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “liberate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• beertail, iterable, tierable

Italian

Verb

liberate

1. inflection of liberare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Anagrams

• albereti, bilatere

Latin

Verb

līberāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of līberō

Participle

līberāte

1. vocative masculine singular of līberātus

Spanish

Verb

liberate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of liberar combined with te