Freedom definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

license, emancipation, liberation, manumission, autonomy, independence, liberty, sovereignty, elbowroom, play, abandon, candor

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Freedom - 8 dictionary results

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free⋅dom

[free-duh

–noun

1.	the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.

2.	exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.

3.	the power to determine action without restraint.

4.	political or national independence.

5.	personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.

6.	exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from): freedom from fear.

7.	the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.

8.	ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.

9.	frankness of manner or speech.

10.	general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.

11.	the absence of ceremony or reserve.

12.	a liberty taken.

13.	a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.

14.	civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.

15.	the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.

16.	the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.

17.	Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. Compare necessity (def. 7).

Origin:
bef. 900; ME fredom, OE frēodōm. See free, -dom

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Freedom

Spanish:

libertad,

German:

die Freiheit,

Japanese:

自由

View 30 other languages »

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free·dom (frē'dəm) Pronunciation Key
n.

The condition of being free of restraints.
Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
1. Political independence.
2. Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority in the performance of a specific action; civil liberty: freedom of assembly.
3. The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.
4. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.
Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: freedom from want.
The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.
Ease or facility of movement: loose sports clothing, giving the wearer freedom.
Frankness or boldness; lack of modesty or reserve: the new freedom in movies and novels.
1. The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.
2. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.
A right or the power to engage in certain actions without control or interference: "the seductive freedoms and excesses of the picaresque form" (John W. Aldridge).

[Middle English fredom, from Old English frēodōm : frēo, free; see free + -dōm, -dom.]

Synonyms: These nouns refer to the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Freedom is the most general term: "In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free" (Abraham Lincoln).
Liberty stresses the power of free choice: "liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases" (William Hazlitt).
License sometimes denotes deliberate deviation from normally applicable rules or practices to achieve a desired effect: poetic license.
Frequently, though, it denotes undue freedom: "the intolerable license with which the newspapers break . . . the rules of decorum" (Edmund Burke).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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freedom

O.E. freodom (see free). Freedom-rider recorded 1961, in ref. to civil rights activists in U.S. trying to integrate bus lines.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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freedom
noun
1.	the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
2.	immunity from an obligation or duty [syn: exemption]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Main Entry: free·dom
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c : the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous
2 a : a political or civil right b : FRANCHISE 2

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Freedom, CA (CDP, FIPS 25576)
Location: (36.940452, -121.789376)
Population (2000): 6,000 (1,619 housing units)
Area: 1.339288 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 95019

Freedom, NH (town, FIPS 00327700)
Location: (43.812624, -71.080210)
Population (2000): 1,303 (1,406 housing units)
Area: 34.645621 sq mi (land), 3.318408 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 03836

Freedom, NY (town, FIPS 00927441)
Location: (42.473212, -78.364700)
Population (2000): 2,493 (1,033 housing units)
Area: 40.317817 sq mi (land), 0.263328 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 14065

Freedom, ME (town, FIPS 02726420)
Location: (44.501246, -69.319315)
Population (2000): 645 (321 housing units)
Area: 21.524419 sq mi (land), 0.712670 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 04941

Freedom, PA (township, FIPS 00127704)
Location: (39.758302, -77.290968)
Population (2000): 844 (376 housing units)
Area: 13.902025 sq mi (land), 0.013400 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 15042

Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 00727712)
Location: (40.684316, -80.251667)
Population (2000): 1,763 (731 housing units)
Area: 0.590739 sq mi (land), 0.128199 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 15042

Freedom, PA (township, FIPS 01327720)
Location: (40.363119, -78.437925)
Population (2000): 3,261 (1,324 housing units)
Area: 17.385009 sq mi (land), 0.007514 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 15042

Freedom, OK (town, FIPS 27850)
Location: (36.769179, -99.113415)
Population (2000): 271 (129 housing units)
Area: 0.348896 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 73842

Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 27712)
Location: (40.684316, -80.251667)
Population (2000): 1,763 (731 housing units)
Area: 0.590739 sq mi (land), 0.128199 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 15042

Freedom, SD (township, FIPS 04922980)
Location: (45.194399, -99.113695)
Population (2000): 120 (38 housing units)
Area: 35.926306 sq mi (land), 0.164521 sq mi (water)

Freedom, WI (town, FIPS 11127675)
Location: (43.433584, -89.893752)
Population (2000): 416 (182 housing units)
Area: 34.594382 sq mi (land), 0.120326 sq mi (water)

Freedom, ND (township, FIPS 10128460)
Location: (48.056728, -101.339176)
Population (2000): 127 (59 housing units)
Area: 35.456706 sq mi (land), 0.649313 sq mi (water)

Freedom, OH (township, FIPS 06928700)
Location: (41.452206, -84.168197)
Population (2000): 1,002 (325 housing units)
Area: 23.622267 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, OH (township, FIPS 13328742)
Location: (41.244924, -81.146755)
Population (2000): 2,751 (1,038 housing units)
Area: 23.931014 sq mi (land), 0.010851 sq mi (water)

Freedom, OH (township, FIPS 17328756)
Location: (41.392675, -83.460347)
Population (2000): 2,695 (1,049 housing units)
Area: 30.277985 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, WI (town, FIPS 08727650)
Location: (44.370478, -88.301651)
Population (2000): 5,241 (1,859 housing units)
Area: 35.754090 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, WI (town, FIPS 04127600)
Location: (45.431551, -88.750715)
Population (2000): 376 (435 housing units)
Area: 34.064123 sq mi (land), 2.027903 sq mi (water)

Freedom, NE (precinct, FIPS 08791030)
Location: (40.046283, -101.173620)
Population (2000): 42 (17 housing units)
Area: 36.232064 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, MO (township, FIPS 10725858)
Location: (38.988282, -93.607230)
Population (2000): 3,429 (1,442 housing units)
Area: 80.036060 sq mi (land), 0.607130 sq mi (water)

Freedom, AR (township, FIPS 11391374)
Location: (34.617465, -94.389403)
Population (2000): 471 (222 housing units)
Area: 38.839168 sq mi (land), 0.351719 sq mi (water)

Freedom, IL (township, FIPS 01527832)
Location: (42.165196, -89.891349)
Population (2000): 609 (612 housing units)
Area: 35.680958 sq mi (land), 0.621789 sq mi (water)

Freedom, IL (township, FIPS 09927845)
Location: (41.504283, -88.867913)
Population (2000): 696 (249 housing units)
Area: 37.354380 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, IA (township, FIPS 07991446)
Location: (42.445953, -93.894954)
Population (2000): 226 (98 housing units)
Area: 32.941289 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, IA (township, FIPS 14791449)
Location: (43.107385, -94.651708)
Population (2000): 1,484 (707 housing units)
Area: 34.335879 sq mi (land), 1.225796 sq mi (water)

Freedom, KS (township, FIPS 01124600)
Location: (38.001048, -94.745740)
Population (2000): 505 (208 housing units)
Area: 43.719948 sq mi (land), 0.074880 sq mi (water)

Freedom, KS (township, FIPS 05124625)
Location: (38.729918, -99.126698)
Population (2000): 125 (64 housing units)
Area: 45.102739 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)

Freedom, KS (township, FIPS 14724650)
Location: (39.871562, -99.360992)
Population (2000): 85 (35 housing units)
Area: 35.654624 sq mi (land), 0.034331 sq mi (water)

Freedom, KS (township, FIPS 15724675)
Location: (39.858655, -97.640575)
Population (2000): 186 (75 housing units)
Area: 34.793467 sq mi (land), 0.096197 sq mi (water)

Freedom, MI (township, FIPS 16130520)
Location: (42.214089, -83.944208)
Population (2000): 1,562 (612 housing units)
Area: 35.460868 sq mi (land), 0.319807 sq mi (water)

Freedom, MN (township, FIPS 16122598)
Location: (43.980814, -93.707247)
Population (2000): 397 (153 housing units)
Area: 35.946997 sq mi (land), 0.229419 sq mi (water)

New Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 13353568)
Location: (39.736703, -76.698541)
Population (2000): 3,512 (1,340 housing units)
Area: 2.051616 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 17349

North Freedom, WI (village, FIPS 58025)
Location: (43.460843, -89.865862)
Population (2000): 649 (252 housing units)
Area: 0.870114 sq mi (land), 0.005996 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 53951

New Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 53568)
Location: (39.736703, -76.698541)
Population (2000): 3,512 (1,340 housing units)
Area: 2.051616 sq mi (land), 0.000000 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 17349

North Freedom, WI (village, FIPS 11158025)
Location: (43.460843, -89.865862)
Population (2000): 649 (252 housing units)
Area: 0.870114 sq mi (land), 0.005996 sq mi (water)
Zip code(s): 53951

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
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Freedom

Free"dom\ (fr[=e]"d[u^]m), n. [AS. fre['o]d[=o]m; fre['o]free + -dom. See Free, and -dom.]

1. The state of being free; exemption from the power and control of another; liberty; independence.

Made captive, yet deserving freedom more. --Milton.

2. Privileges; franchises; immunities.

Your charter and your caty's freedom. --Shak.

3. Exemption from necessity, in choise and action; as, the freedom of the will.

4. Ease; facility; as, he speaks or acts with freedom.

5. Frankness; openness; unreservedness.

I emboldened spake and freedom used. --Milton.

6. Improper familiarity; violation of the rules of decorum; license.

7. Generosity; liberality. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Freedom fine, a sum paid on entry to incorporations of trades.

Freedom of the city, the possession of the rights and privileges of a freeman of the city; formerly often, and now occasionally, conferred on one not a resident, as a mark of honorary distinction for public services.

Syn: See Liberty.

Freedom

The law of Moses pointed out the cases in which the servants of the Hebrews were to receive their freedom (Ex. 21:2-4, 7, 8; Lev. 25:39-42, 47-55; Deut. 15:12-18). Under the Roman law the "freeman" (ingenuus) was one born free; the "freedman" (libertinus) was a manumitted slave, and had not equal rights with the freeman (Acts 22:28; comp. Acts 16:37-39; 21:39; 22:25; 25:11, 12).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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