Definitions for liberty
ˈlɪb ər tilib·er·ty

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 3 votes

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

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 4 votes

1. libertynoun

   The condition of being free from control or restrictions.

   The army is here, your liberty is assured.

2. libertynoun

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

   The prisoners gained their liberty from an underground tunnel.

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.

4. libertynoun

   Freedom from excess government control.

5. libertynoun

   A short period when a sailor is allowed ashore.

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

6. libertynoun

   A breach of social convention (often liberties).

   You needn't take such liberties.

7. libertynoun

   A local government unit in medieval England – see liberty.

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

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Libertynoun

   Etymology: liberté, French; libertas, Latin.

   1. Freedom, as opposed to slavery.

   My master knows of your being here, and hath threatened to put me into everlasting liberty, if I tell you of it; for he swears, he’ll turn me away. William Shakespeare.

   O liberty! thou goddess, heav’nly bright!
   Profuse of bliss, and pregnant with delight,
   Eternal pleasures in thy presence reign. Addison.

   2. Freedom, as opposed to necessity.

   Liberty is the power in any agent to do, or forbear, any particular action, according to the determination, or thought of the mind, whereby either of them is preferred to the other. John Locke.

   As it is in the motions of the body, so it is in the thoughts of our minds: where any one is such, that we have power to take it up, or lay it by, according to the preference of the mind, there we are at liberty. John Locke.

   3. Privilege; exemption; immunity.

   His majesty gave not an intire country to any, much less did he grant jura regalia, or any extraordinary liberties. Davies.

   4. Relaxation of restraint.5. Leave; permission.

   I shall take the liberty to consider a third ground, which, with some men, has the same authority. John Locke.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Liberty

   Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society from control or oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. In theology, liberty is freedom from the effects of "sin, spiritual servitude, [or] worldly ties".Sometimes liberty is differentiated from freedom by using the word "freedom" primarily, if not exclusively, to mean the ability to do as one wills and what one has the power to do; and using the word "liberty" to mean the absence of arbitrary restraints, taking into account the rights of all involved. In this sense, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others. Thus liberty entails the responsible use of freedom under the rule of law without depriving anyone else of their freedom. Liberty can be taken away as a form of punishment. In many countries, people can be deprived of their liberty if they are convicted of criminal acts. Liberty originates from the Latin word libertas, derived from the name of the goddess Libertas, who, along with more modern personifications, is often used to portray the concept, and the archaic Roman god Liber. The word "liberty" is often used in slogans, such as in "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and "Liberté, égalité, fraternité".

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

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

FreebaseRate this definition:4.7 / 3 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 3 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 2 votes

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 TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. liberty

   Permission to go on shore or ship-visiting.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. libertynoun

   LIBERTY: "...rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within the limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.". (Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 4 April 1819)

   Through the covid pandemic, we wear a mask to ensure the liberty of others is not infringed upon.

   
   

   Submitted by kdkkovach on January 9, 2022  

2. ---

   liberty

   To have freedom.

   Liberty is vital for all human beings.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 11, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. liberty

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

Who Was Who?Rate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Liberty

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

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. LIBERTY

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Liberty is ranked #9184 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Liberty surname appeared 3,552 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Liberty.
   
   89% or 3,162 total occurrences were White.
   4.6% or 166 total occurrences were Black.
   2.1% or 77 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   1.8% or 67 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.6% or 57 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   0.6% or 23 total occurrences were Asian.

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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Jim Jordan:

   We had 15 days of' slow the spread' turn into one year of lost liberty, what metrics, what measures, what has to happen before Americans get more freedoms back ?

2. John Adams:

   [D]emocracy will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes and no man's life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure, and every one of these will soon mould itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few.

3. Michael Jackson:

   Lets leave here tonight knowing that… We must show these Nazi, white-supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country that as a nation with liberty as our slogan we have zero tolerance for their violence, their hatred and their discrimination, we must resist.

4. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar:

   Indians today are governed by two different ideologies. Their political ideal set in the preamble of the Constitution affirms a life of liberty, equality and fraternity. Their social ideal embodied in their religion denies them.

5. Stephen Breyer:

   The bail questions before us are technical but at heart they are simple, we need only recall the words of the Declaration of Independence, in particular its insistence that all men and women have ‘certain unalienable rights,’ and that among them is the right to liberty.

Popularity rank by frequency of use