1The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

1. 1.1 Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.
   he was a champion of Irish freedom

   Example sentencesExamples

   • These are age-old canards that undermine freedom and encourage authoritarian states.
   • The writings of Jacques Derrida on freedom and democracy mentioned earlier are not without relevance here as well.
   • He denigrated a foreign policy that delivers the rhetoric of freedom and not the reality of economic progress and true liberty.
   • He does not see the United States as a champion for freedom.
   • The struggle cannot be separated from the struggle for freedom of despotism of all kinds.
   • Quite a powerful speech, especially the last part on foreign policy and freedom.
   • Natural law provides ‘a framework for government that permits human freedom,’ Jones said.
   • At stake is the fate of freedom and democracy as we know it.
   • We champion freedom not only because it is practical and beneficial but because it is morally right and just.
   • Crazy Horse bravely fought for the freedom of the Sioux Nation.
   • It was not just in communist-ruled eastern Europe that he spoke up for freedom.
   • Lawlessness is arriving as a domestic and foreign assault on legal ideas that endorse freedom and human rights.
   • He believed that the cause of freedom in a subject nation could not advance any faster than that of its most subject class.
   • Like a jailer who throws you into a prison cell while slipping you the key, Europe simultaneously gave the world despotism and freedom.
   • In the long-term, however, the United States has far more to gain from living up to its self-image as the champion of freedom.
   • Recent policies have cost our nation its reputation as the world's most admired champion of freedom and justice.
   • Personally, I'd rather have freedom, democracy, self-determination, and so on.
   • They speak of freedom and democracy, and our way of life and our values, and they deride those who reason why.
   • Why did we fight for our freedom and suffer so many battles if our ancient ‘protectors’ are then going to give our land away to the highest bidder?
   • Monarchy or republic, despotism or freedom, what's the difference?

   Synonyms

   independence, self-government, self-determination, self-legislation, self rule, home rule, sovereignty, autonomy, autarky, democracy
2. 1.2 The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
   the shark thrashed its way to freedom

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Finally, after three years of my imprisonment, I had tasted freedom again.
   • The question of whether or not the killers qualify for freedom under the same agreement is one that has given rise to much public debate and disquiet.
   • I could give a life for my freedom, or spare a life for my imprisonment.
   • As with Mexican legal support for slavery, actual military policy did not consistently grant freedom to the enslaved.
   • Belle shows him that the bird responds better to freedom and kindness than to imprisonment and threats.
   • Because of his actions 46 people were imprisoned unjustly and lost their freedom for more than three years.
   • Although she is freeborn, Alice forfeits her freedom by assisting her enslaved lover's thwarted escape.
   • The temporary freedom was also subject to the condition that he be back at his place of confinement by late Sunday afternoon.
   • The residents of the close-knit community of Beaconsfield prepared to celebrate the men's freedom and off licences stocked up on supplies.
   • Imprisoned Jews could buy freedom if they promised to leave the country, abandoning their assets.
   • ‘Being in Colditz taught us all the value of freedom and tolerance for your fellow men,’ says Lockwood.
   • Thwaites ultimately managed to escape Germany, after his former boss on the Hamburg waterfront intervened on his behalf and he was able to buy himself freedom.
   • He was a former slave who bought his own freedom and then risked his life to help other enslaved Africans escape.
   • I had a bad feeling about this that I just couldn't shake, and even this close to freedom, I still felt imprisoned.
   • His parents and elder brother left for Tokyo to appeal for his freedom through Tokyo-based foreign news organizations.
   • That busy line must be a cruel and tantalising reminder of lost freedom for the inmates of the upstate New York penitentiary.
   • Eighteen months came and went until her boyfriend and a Congressman were able to secure her freedom.
   • But in the end, they all prefer the safety of enslavement to the dangers of freedom.
   • In practice, however, the court served to confirm enslavement at least as often as it established freedom.
   • Black sailors helped runaways stow-away to freedom, risking imprisonment to challenge slavery.

   Synonyms

   liberty, liberation, release, emancipation, deliverance, delivery, discharge, non-confinement, extrication
3. 1.3 The state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily.
   the shorts have a side split for freedom of movement

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Through the dance, he wanted to show he was now in the reality of life, with freedom to move.
   • To create width in the backswing, the right arm needs freedom to move back and up into the proper position at the top.
   • While clever enough in theory, the chairs in reality clutter the stage and restrict the cast's sorely needed freedom to move.
   • The particles in a liquid are loosely bound together, but they move about with relative freedom.
   • Free-range hens, for instance, have greater freedom to move about, but are more susceptible to feather pecking and disease.
   • Moreover, you have complete freedom to move the camera, and you can even cause it to follow along behind a guest so you can essentially see what it sees.
   • The men no longer wore the stiff skirt or tonnelet of the 18th century but simple tights, trunks, and tunics which gave them more freedom to move.
   • The goal for her is to be able to gain enough freedom of movement so that she can throw her feet up to the left and away from the attacker's body.
4. 1.4freedom from The state of not being subject to or affected by (a particular undesirable thing)
   government policies to achieve freedom from want

   Example sentencesExamples

   • That's supposedly the day that you colonial types won your freedom from us cruel European overlords.
   • We as a country surrendered and submitted for ages until we got our freedom from the British.
   • When you hire a private jet, you get complete flexibility and freedom from the usual constraints of flying.
   • We need freedom from our own warped ideas of what is right and what is not.
   • It's a kind of freedom from just being tied to objects and things that are in the ‘real world’.
   • Who could blame her if she decided to reject Royal status in favour of freedom from the burden of civic responsibility?
   • The greater the freedom from the dead hand of state control, the better our health service is likely to become.
   • India won its freedom from colonial rule, ending nearly 200 years of British rule.
   • I find it interesting that not long ago we fought hard for freedom from foreign landlords.
   • Two other things that war was fought for were freedom of speech and freedom from European control.
   • Celebrate your freedom from the technological yokes of modern life.
   • Consider the consequences of our freedom from instinctual or environmental control.
   • Women wanted equal access to positions of power and freedom from the stereotyping of them as inadequate for certain kinds of work.
   • We stood on the side of freedom from a fascist dictator - it is as simple as that.
   • It would create the incentive among young people to work hard to obtain their freedom from their parents that home ownership gives.
   • It's freedom of an inner kind, freedom from the dictates of greed, of hatred, of confusion.
   • It was also the last of village France, with palpable limits, yet freedom from ephemeral diversions.
   • This was a symbol of freedom from the social and economic oppression of the time.
   • By the same token the most important factor in transforming their possibilities was freedom from colonial rule.
   • A question of an individual's freedom from unlawful detention is always serious.

   Synonyms

   exemption, immunity, dispensation, exception, exclusion, release, relief, reprieve, absolution, exoneration
5. 1.5 The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Conferences of philosophers on determinism and freedom aren't the same as they used to be.
   • The ideals of freedom and self-determination have never been realised; we should see them as sirens calling us on, not as blueprints to be copied from the past.
   • In the social and ethical realm, Chicherin placed great emphasis on individual human freedom.
   • Therefore, freedom suggests autonomy and the absence of social bonds.
   • This causality of freedom can rule over us only in a condition of free thought and communication.
   • Several approaches to the subject of religion and freedom have been touched upon.
   • This chapter raises profound questions concerning freedom, necessity, and the individual will.
   • For Sartre the necessity of freedom is paramount in his thinking.
   • Freedom for Hegel is not freedom to do as we please; it consists in having a free mind.
   • A functionalist theory, by contrast, brings with it a determinist conception of freedom.
   • You cannot have self-determination without full freedom.
   • Kant's attempt to reconcile determinism and freedom involves placing us in two different realms.
   • To demand free sexuality as proof of freedom and ‘inwardness’ is in Hegel's eyes sophistry, serving the exploitation of women.
   • The notion of freedom was redefined subjectively, as an inner state that can be maintained despite the vicissitudes of political life.
   • From the philosophical point of view the principles relate to the problem of how to combine necessity and freedom.
   • He also believed that moral agency and freedom are compatible with metaphysical necessity.
   • As a young man he took well to the Epicurean view of freedom and independence of spirit, though this led him into the alley of atheism.
   • She shows us that acknowledging our freedom is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for ethical action.

   Synonyms

   scope, latitude, leeway, margin, flexibility, facility, space, breathing space, room, elbow room
6. 1.6 Unrestricted use of something.
   the dog is happy having the freedom of the house when we are out

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Their 100 guests will have freedom of the house and garden for the rest of the day.
   • What we can do is ensure the future safety of the residents, especially the children, who enjoy the freedom of their village.
   • Because the entire school is rarely more than 60, it is common for children to have the freedom of the whole building and be in touch with all the staff.
   • We had more or less complete freedom of the island and basically went wherever we wanted.
   • We kept chickens which had the freedom of the garden - free range par excellence!
   • I had the freedom of the city the Wednesday after that and then it was just the mayhem of being taken from place to place.
7. 1.7archaic Familiarity or openness in speech or behavior.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • We were surprised to find an openness and freedom between us we hadn't experienced before.
   • They think that they can make themselves as agreeable to the men as their successful rivals, by adopting the same style and allowing the same freedom of conversation.
   • I talked a great deal to him with the freedom I have long used to him on this and on other subjects.

   Synonyms

   naturalness, openness, lack of inhibition, lack of reserve, casualness, informality, lack of ceremony, spontaneity, ingenuousness

   impudence