Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
liberate - 4 dictionary results

lib⋅er⋅ate

  [lib-uh-reyt]
Use liberate in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -at⋅ed, -at⋅ing.
1. to set free, as from imprisonment or bondage.
2. to free (a nation or area) from control by a foreign or oppressive government.
3. to free (a group or individual) from social or economic constraints or discrimination, esp. arising from traditional role expectations or bias.
4. to disengage; set free from combination, as a gas.
5. Slang. to steal or take over illegally: The soldiers liberated a consignment of cigarettes.
Origin:
1615–25; < L līberātus (ptp. of līberāre to free), equiv. to līberā- v. s. + -tus ptp. suffix. See liberal, -ate 1

Related forms:
lib⋅er⋅a⋅tive, lib⋅er⋅a⋅to⋅ry  [lib-er-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective
lib⋅er⋅a⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. deliver, unfetter, disenthrall, loose. See release.

Antonyms:
1. imprison; enthrall.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To liberate
lib·er·ate   (lĭb'ə-rāt')   
tr.v.   lib·er·at·ed, lib·er·at·ing, lib·er·ates
  1. To set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control.
  2. Chemistry To release (a gas, for example) from combination.
  3. Slang To obtain by illegal or stealthy action: tried to sell appliances that were liberated during the riot.

[Latin līberāre, līberāt-, from līber, free; see leudh- in Indo-European roots.]
lib'er·at'ing·ly adv., lib'er·a'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Liberate

Lib"er*ate\ (-[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Liberated (-[=a]`t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Liberating (-[=a]`t[i^]ng).] [L. liberatus, p. p. of liberare to free, fr. liber free. See Liberal, a., and cf. Deliver.] To release from restraint or bondage; to set at liberty; to free; to manumit; to disengage; as, to liberate a slave or prisoner; to liberate the mind from prejudice; to liberate gases.

Syn: To deliver; free; release. See Deliver.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : liberate
Spanish: liberar, poner en libertad,
German: freilassen,
Japanese: 自由にする
More Translations »

liberate 
1623, from L. liberatus, pp. of liberare "set free," from liber "free" (see liberal). Meaning "to free an occupied territory from the enemy" (often used ironically) is from 1944. Liberation is c.1440; liberation theology (1969) translates Sp. teologia de la liberación, coined 1968 by Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see liberate on Thesaurus | Reference