freeing 1 of 2

noun

as in emancipation
the act of setting free from slavery a human rights group that works tirelessly for the freeing of political prisoners all over the world

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

freeing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of free
1
as in liberating
to set free (as from slavery or confinement) a global crusade to free Nelson Mandela from a South African prison had emerged

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2
as in opening
to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions we'll free the river by breaking up the ice jam

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3
as in clearing
to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way would you mind freeing up the work area so I can work?

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4
as in relieving
to set (a person or thing) free of something that encumbers a phone call would free your parents from worry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in saving
to set free from entanglement or difficulty this plan should free us from debt

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of freeing
Noun
Ten Southern state legislatures endorsed the idea by passing laws that allowed the freeing of an enslaved person only when deportation out of the state was arranged and paid for. — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026 Every single registration fee goes directly toward freeing, employing and empowering trafficked women. — Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2026 The freeing of psychic space has allowed Hargitay to pursue new avenues of creativity. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 Juneteenth returns to Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood on Saturday, June 20, to commemorate the freeing of black slaves in the United States. — Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 18 June 2026 Jews celebrate the freeing of Israelite slaves from Egypt and Moses guiding them to the Promised Land. — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026 By all means, this committee should aim to commemorate the freeing of slaves, Moore acknowledged, once the nationalists had taken over in earnest. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025 The ceasefire offer would see the freeing of some hostages held by Hamas, the freeing of Palestinians held in prison by Israel, continuation of talks over a longer-term truce and the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from parts of Gaza. — Filip Timotija, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025 Today’s contributor shares how finding Christian Science brought a freeing, healing peace that profoundly changed the course of her life. — Kaye Patterson, Christian Science Monitor, 9 June 2025
Verb
But many people who've made big midlife changes describe it as freeing. — Allison Aubrey, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026 Boulder Police are preparing to launch a new artificial intelligence program to handle non-emergency calls, freeing dispatchers to focus on emergencies. — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 In exchange for a lesser charge and freeing his mother, the perpetrator agrees to testify against the other two men, which ultimately leads to rape convictions for the two. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 This loop traps us, backfilling saved time with even more low-value complexity rather than freeing up space for deep thinking. — Stephanie Kramer, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Their argument was that the Prime Minister had failed to make freeing the hostages his main priority. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026 If passed, Proposition NN would exempt state education spending from the TABOR cap, freeing up potentially billions of dollars to be used for specific purposes. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026 Google said in its release that its new model is already being used internally to optimize memory at Google’s data centers, freeing up hundreds of terabytes of memory without buying additional hardware. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 Automation can improve consistency while freeing teams to focus on higher-value analysis. — Ann Blakely, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freeing
  1. emancipation
  2. liberating
  3. opening
  4. clearing
  5. relieving
  6. saving
  7. liberation
  8. releasing
Noun
  • The standout style was the La Pigalle pump, representing a symbol of confidence and emancipation.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The March on Washington was about the unfinished business of emancipation and Reconstruction.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of emancipation
Verb
  • This action would have triggered a kilonova while also liberating a lot of material, stuff that would take its time falling onto the black hole and fueling longer jets.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Sun in your sign trines liberating Uranus in your adventurous 9th house, encouraging you to explore a new subject, destination, belief, or direction.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of liberating
Verb
  • Velly Pizza is also opening a second location in the Natomas area.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Among the recommendations is a change that would change the village’s single-family residential districts to neighborhood residential districts, potentially opening them up to multi-unit housing.
    — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • In a Tuesday statement, Purdue University officials said researchers came across at least four coconut crabs while clearing an overgrown trail to the island's lagoon.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Just as running from my problems was, clearing my mind over the course of many miles, or racing hard, until the adrenaline cleansed me of feeling pain, sadness, disappointment, or rage.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of clearing
Verb
  • The suddenness of it all was terrifying, even paralyzing, and yet, at the same time, oddly relieving.
    — Andrew Lipstein, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Haldea noted that dividend recaps provide liquidity, relieving the pressure to sell without ultimately resolving the valuation gap.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of relieving
Verb
  • Republicans are prioritizing efforts to save their Senate majority over saving the House majority, while Democrats are capitalizing on opportunities in conservative areas, Fowler says.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The survey’s proponents can also point to competing demands—such as housing, medical costs, and support for family members—as real constraints on saving, even for higher earners.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of saving
Noun
  • The tapes were hidden for decades after the 1996 overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and a leader of the African liberation movement.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The director Peter Sellars, who staged the piece’s first production last year, also worked with me on assembling the libretto, and Peter is a force of liberation.
    — Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of liberation
Verb
  • But ahead of November's midterm election, Democrats in recent weeks have ramped up campaign ads hitting their GOP opponents for past opposition to releasing the Epstein files.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The trigger for lithium-ion battery fires is a process called thermal runaway, a cascading sequence of heat-releasing reactions inside the battery cell.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of releasing

Browse Nearby Words

freeheartedly
freeing
freeload
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Cite this Entry

“Freeing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freeing. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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