Definitions for liberty
ˈlɪb ər tilib·er·ty

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. autonomy, libertynoun

   immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence

2. libertynoun

   freedom of choice

   "liberty of opinion"; "liberty of worship"; "liberty--perfect liberty--to think or feel or do just as one pleases"; "at liberty to choose whatever occupation one wishes"

3. libertynoun

   personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression

4. shore leave, libertynoun

   leave granted to a sailor or naval officer

5. familiarity, impropriety, indecorum, libertynoun

   an act of undue intimacy

Wiktionary(4.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. libertynoun

   The condition of being free from control or restrictions.

   The army is here, your liberty is assured.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

2. libertynoun

   The condition of being free from imprisonment, slavery or forced labour.

   The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

3. libertynoun

   The condition of being free to act, believe or express oneself as one chooses.

   The prisoners were at liberty to speak freely with their lawyers.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

4. libertynoun

   Freedom from excess government control.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

5. libertynoun

   A short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.

   We're going on a three-day liberty as soon as we dock.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

6. libertynoun

   A breach of social convention (often liberties).

   You needn't take such liberties.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

7. libertynoun

   A local government unit in medieval England – see liberty.

   Etymology: From liberte, from liberte, from libertas, from liber; see liberal.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Libertynoun

   the state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; -- opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection

2. Libertynoun

   freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion

3. Libertynoun

   a privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave; as, liberty given to a child to play, or to a witness to leave a court, and the like

4. Libertynoun

   privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe

5. Libertynoun

   the place within which certain immunities are enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised

6. Libertynoun

   a certain amount of freedom; permission to go freely within certain limits; also, the place or limits within which such freedom is exercised; as, the liberties of a prison

7. Libertynoun

   a privilege or license in violation of the laws of etiquette or propriety; as, to permit, or take, a liberty

8. Libertynoun

   the power of choice; freedom from necessity; freedom from compulsion or constraint in willing

9. Libertynoun

   a curve or arch in a bit to afford room for the tongue of the horse

10. Libertynoun

    leave of absence; permission to go on shore

Freebase(4.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Liberty

   Liberty is the value of individuals to have agency. Different conceptions of liberty articulate the relationship of individuals to society in different ways—including some that relate to life under a social contract or to existence in a state of nature, and some that see the active exercise of freedom and rights as essential to liberty. Understanding liberty involves how we imagine the individual's roles and responsibilities in society in relation to concepts of free will and determinism, which involves the larger domain of metaphysics. Individualist and classical liberal conceptions of liberty typically consist of the freedom of individuals from outside compulsion or coercion, also known as negative liberty. This conception of liberty, which coincides with the libertarian point-of-view, suggests that people should, must, and ought to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions, while in contrast, Social liberal conceptions of liberty place an emphasis upon social structure and agency and is therefore directed toward ensuring egalitarianism. In feudal societies, a "liberty" was an area of allodial land where the rights of the ruler or monarch were waived.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(2.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Liberty

   lib′ėr-ti, n. freedom to do as one pleases: the unrestrained enjoyment of natural rights: power of free choice: privilege: exemption: relaxation of restraint: the bounds within which certain privileges are enjoyed: freedom of speech or action beyond ordinary civility.—ns. Libertā′rian, one who believes in free-will as opposed to necessity; Libertā′rianism, the doctrine of the freedom of the will, as opposed to necessitarianism; Liber′ticide, a destroyer of liberty; Liber′tinage, debauchery; Lib′ertine, formerly one who professed free opinions, esp. in religion: one who leads a licentious life, a rake or debauchee.—adj. belonging to a freedman: unrestrained: licentious.—n. Lib′ertinism, licentiousness of opinion or practice: lewdness or debauchery.—Liberty of indifference, freedom of the will—because before action the will is undetermined as to acting or not acting; Liberty of the press, liberty to print and publish without previous permission from government.—Cap of liberty (see Bonnet rouge, under Bonnet); Religious liberty, the right of thinking about religion or of worshipping as one likes. [Fr.,—L. libertas.]

The Roycroft Dictionary(1.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. liberty

   1. A password in universal use, and hence of no value. 2. The slogan of a party or sect that seeks to enslave some other party or sect. 3. The lost latchkey to the Citadel of Power. 4. The sacred aeroplane of King Ego. 5. The right to go forth unimpeded from any place, and also to come back. 6. The Northwest Passage to Nowhere. 7. The thing Patrick Henry asked for when the bartender asked him what he would have. 8. Only a comparative term. 9. Responsibility--that is why most men dread it.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. liberty

   Permission to go on shore or ship-visiting.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. liberty

   To have freedom.

   Liberty is vital for all human beings.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 11, 2020  

Suggested Resources(2.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. liberty

   Song lyrics by liberty -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by liberty on the Lyrics.com website.

Who Was Who?(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Liberty

   A huge lady who guards New York harbor and welcomes Italy and Poland to the United States.

Matched Categories

1. • Freedom
   • Independence
   • Leave
   • Misbehavior

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'liberty' in Nouns Frequency: #1939

How to pronounce liberty?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say liberty in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of liberty in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of liberty in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of liberty in a Sentence

1. Jeff Fortenberry:

   This is threat against civilization itself when a group of people, ISIS -- 8th century barbarians with 21st century weaponry -- can systematically try to exterminate another group of people simply because of their faith tradition violating the scared space of individuality, conscience and religious liberty, you undermine the entire system of international order.

2. Roger B. Taney:

   It citizenship would give to persons of the negro race, who were recognized as citizens in any one State of the Union, the right to enter every other state whenever they pleased, singly or in companies, without pass or passport, andwithout obstruction, to sojourn there as long as they pleased, to go where they pleased at every hour of the day or night without molestation, unless they committed some violation of the law for which a white man would be punished it citizenship would give them the full liberty of speech in public and in private upon all subjects upon which its own citizens might speak to hold public meetings upon political affairs, and to keep and carry arms wherever they went. And all this would be done in the face of the subject race of the same color, both free and slaves, inevitably producing discontent and insubordination among them, and endangering the peace and safety of the State.

3. Abraham Lincoln:

   Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...We here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

   The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the goverment.

5. Alan Dershowitz:

   My goal is to propose a solution that strikes the appropriate balance between religious liberty and the rights of young girls not to be mutilated.

Images & Illustrations of liberty

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