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to liberate

to liberate

104 4.3
Set someone free from prison or unfair control
  • verb
  • /ˈlɪbəˌreɪt/
translation icon : liberar
  • After years of struggle, the leaders finally managed to liberate their country from colonial rule.
  • liberate a country
  • newly liberated
  • a liberated zone

This is just a mission to rescue and liberate the Ukrainians from the Nazis.

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Examples

Synonyms

to release
vsto liberate
1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

is more often used for major political or coercive situations
to free
vsto liberate
337 1.0

To release someone or something that is held

is stronger, focusing on ending oppression or official control
to set free
vsto liberate
218 2.7

To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave

is used more for freeing from serious oppression or control
to unlock
vsto liberate
84 1.3

Make a skill, chance, or secret become available

covers wider acts of freeing beyond just physical barriers
to emancipate
vsto liberate
  • Formal
23 7.0

To set someone free from unfair control or rules so they have equal rights

is more general, also covering physical imprisonment and control
to extricate
vsto liberate
22 7.6

Free a person or thing from something that traps them

is focused more on ending enforced control or oppression
to let loose
vsto liberate
13 3.8

Set something free from being held or controlled

is more formal and used for ending enforced domination
to unchain
vsto liberate
6 4.1

Remove chains and other things that hold someone so they are free

applies more broadly to stopping systemic oppression or control
to unshackle
vsto liberate
5 6.5

Free someone or something from limits and control

has a wider use for political or social liberation contexts
to untether
vsto liberate
1 6.2

To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely

is broader, including release from political or legal control
to manumit
vsto liberate
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To free someone from slavery

is broader and not limited to the context of servitude
to decolonize
vsto liberate
1 7.5

To give independence to a country or region that another country controls

applies to individuals and groups, not only political independence
to affranchise
vsto liberate
  • Archaic
9.9

To free someone from slavery or forced work

is more general and applies to many types of control

Antonyms

to imprison
  • Formal
178 4.2

Put someone in prison as a punishment or keep them locked up

152 6.5

To treat people cruelly or unfairly using power to limit their rights

How Free

to emancipate
  • Formal
23 7.0
to liberate
104 4.3
release
279 1.8
to rescue
633 1.0

Surface Forms

liberate infinitive
liberated past
liberated past participle
liberating present participle
liberates third person singular

Morphology

liberate = liberty (transparent) = liber + ate

Formed from the combining form 'liber-' (free) with the verb-forming suffix '-ate'; learners familiar with 'liberty' or 'liber-' can infer 'to set free'.

Etymology

Liberate comes from the Latin root liber, which means 'free' and is the same root in liberty, so to liberate someone is to 'set them free' from prison, control, or occupation.