Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

liberty

1

[ lib-er-tee ]

noun

plural liberties.
  1. freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
  2. freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.
  3. freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.
  4. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint:

    The prisoner soon regained his liberty.

    Synonyms:

  5. permission granted to a sailor, especially in the navy, to go ashore.
  6. freedom or right to frequent or use a place:

    The visitors were given the liberty of the city.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  7. unwarranted or impertinent freedom in action or speech, or a form or instance of it:

    to take liberties.

  8. a female figure personifying freedom from despotism.


Liberty

2

[ lib-er-tee ]

noun

  1. a town in W Missouri.

liberty

/ ˈɪəɪ /

noun

  1. the power of choosing, thinking, and acting for oneself; freedom from control or restriction
  2. the right or privilege of access to a particular place; freedom
  3. often plural a social action regarded as being familiar, forward, or improper
  4. often plural an action that is unauthorized or unwarranted in the circumstances

    he took liberties with the translation

    1. authorized leave granted to a sailor
    2. ( as modifier )

      liberty man

      liberty boat

  5. at liberty
    free, unoccupied, or unrestricted
  6. take liberties
    to be overfamiliar or overpresumptuous (with)
  7. take the liberty
    to venture or presume (to do something)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of liberty1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English liberte, from Middle French, from Latin ī-, stem of ī, equivalent to ī “free” + - -ty 2
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of liberty1

C14: from Old French é, from Latin ī, from ī free
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. at liberty,
    1. free from captivity or restraint.
    2. unemployed; out of work.
    3. free to do or be as specified:

      You are at liberty to leave at any time during the meeting.

More idioms and phrases containing liberty

see at liberty ; take the liberty of .
Discover More

Synonym Study

See freedom.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Justice has been delivered today and knowing this person's liberties have been withdrawn and children in our community are now safe from him; we can close out this chapter."

From

"This defendant, if he had been charged when he should have been, would not have been at liberty to abduct this six-year-old girl," she explained.

From

It says that criminal law should be limited to acts that threaten core societal values - like public safety, national security, life, liberty, property and social harmony.

From

During an argument on Tuesday, they strongly suggested they would extend religious liberty rights to parents with children in public schools.

From

"This is a very perilous time in America for liberty," Thomas Bassford, told the Associated Press, while in Boston with his partner, daughter and two grandsons.

From

Advertisement

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


libertinismLiberty Bell