liberate
lib·er·ate/ˈlɪbəˌɹeɪt/verb, noun
liberate is spelled L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (lib·er·ate). It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, liberate means “Often followed by from: to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free; to set free, to release” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in liberate?
| Letters | 8: L-I-B-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: lib·er·ate |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is liberate?
Liberate appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce liberate?
- UK /ˈlɪbəɹeɪt/
- British /ˈlɪbəɹɛjt/
- US /ˈlɪbəˌɹeɪt/
As an adjective (“Freed, released; free”): /ˈlɪbəɹet/, /ˈlɪbəˌɹet/.
As a noun (“A writ issued out of the Chancery to authorize the…”): /lɪbəˈɹeɪti/, /ˌlɪbəˈɹeɪti/, [-ɾi].
Liberate has 3 syllables, split lib·er·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-liberate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with liberate
Also written: liberated.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of liberate
- liberates present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- liberating participle, present
- liberated past, participle, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does liberate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
Often followed by from: to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free; to set free, to release.
- 2
To free (someone or something) from discriminatory or oppressive attitudes, inhibition, or restraint.
You need to free your mind and liberate yourself from prejudice.
- 3
To release (someone) from slavery; to manumit.
- 4
To free (a place such as a country, or the residents thereof) from an occupying force, or from oppression such as unjust rule.
- 5
To cause (energy or a substance) to be released through a chemical reaction or physical decomposition.
Since the reaction liberates a large amount of chlorine gas, a powerful ventilation system is recommended.
- 6
informalTo take (property belonging to someone else) by force or theft; to loot, to rob, to steal.
We didn’t need IDs. We just liberated these beers from the back of the shop.
noun
- 1
UKA writ issued out of the Chancery to authorize the Exchequer to pay a debt, pension, etc., on behalf of the Crown.
- 2
UKA writ issued to a jailer to release a prisoner on bail.
- 3
UKUSA writ issued to a sheriff to release property (goods or land) from their custody.
adjective
- 1
ScotlandobsoleteFreed, released; free.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Liberate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free – see also set free, release:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does liberate come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin līberātus (“freed, liberated; absolved, acquitted; released”); see English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and used as the ending of participial adjectives and obsolete past participles from Latin).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).