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To emancipate someone (including oneself) is to free them from restraint, control, or the power of another, and especially to free them from bondage or enslavement. It follows that the noun emancipation refers to the act or practice of emancipating. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, for example, ordered that enslaved people living in the Confederate states be released from the bonds of ownership and made free people. It took more than two years for news of the proclamation to reach the enslaved communities in the distant state of Texas. The arrival of the news on June 19 (of 1865) is now celebrated as a national holiday—Juneteenth or Emancipation Day.
Examples of emancipation in a Sentence
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Hiding in plain sight Pennsylvania, like many northern states, responded to the Declaration of Independence’s rhetorical commitment to liberty by enacting a gradual emancipation law.
—Carolyn Zola, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
Because emancipation, remember, had been an executive order.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Blending the tones of romantic comedy with a story of personal emancipation, the series follows a journey of self-discovery, ambition, and unexpected love.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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emancipation
noun
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emancipation
noun
