as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
though he was an outspoken defender of liberty, this son of Virginia did not manumit his own slaves until he was on his deathbed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of manumit
Tubman’s father had been manumitted by his owner, but Brodess had inherited Tubman, hiring her and her siblings out to neighbors for seasonal work, whether trapping muskrats or clearing land.
—
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859.
—Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024
In one county, not a single enslaved person was manumitted in 1859.
—John Reeves, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
No evidence exists to suggest Kirby Smith did manumit him.
—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
Some states, like the state of Georgia, passed expulsion laws that required blacks who were manumitted to leave the state within a year of their emancipation.
—Tera W. Hunter, The Root, 15 May 2018
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Grant would manumit his one enslaved servant, William Jones, in 1859.
—Harold Holzer, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024
In one county, not a single enslaved person was manumitted in 1859.
—John Reeves, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
No evidence exists to suggest Kirby Smith did manumit him.
—Cynthia Greenlee, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
Some states, like the state of Georgia, passed expulsion laws that required blacks who were manumitted to leave the state within a year of their emancipation.
—Tera W. Hunter, The Root, 15 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manumit
Verb
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Four months into his second term, the sprint is on: SAB 121 is gone, freeing banks from punitive capital rules on digital‑asset custody; April’s bill scrapped the nightmare cost‑basis paperwork for DeFi; and the DOJ has shuttered its crypto task force, vowing to chase scammers, not software.—
Crypto Confidential,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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In the month following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and Hamas's seizing of hundreds of Israeli hostages, Francis had prayed they would soon be freed and called for dialogue.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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With McCaffrey sharing carries with Stewart as a rookie, the Panthers made the playoffs in 2017 before releasing Stewart a couple of months later.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World, is set to release on April 15, wherever books are sold.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Photo: Courtesy of Hannah Jackson Eighty years ago today, on April 11, 1945, Morris was liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
11 Apr. 2025
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In liberating Hollywood movies from the social context, younger viewers also liberated them from their commercial roots, from the very notion of popularity, which was central to Kael’s understanding of the art of movies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To protect a batch of sea turtle eggs from possible poachers, the group rescued them and hatched them in a lab before releasing 100 baby sea turtles into the ocean.—
Terry Baddoo,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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The two swimmers were rescued and released after being checked by medics.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And many Virginians who owned enslaved people were terrified that the British were going to emancipate their enslaved labor.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
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Jefferson later maintained that any decision to emancipate slaves must be part of a democratic process and not handed down by, say, executive order.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Some other states specifically prohibit localities from enfranchising noncitizens.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
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Thus enfranchised, Hackman took on Richard Harris’ elegant killer English Bob with gusto, mixing in a bravura oratorical gavotte with ample kicks to the ribs, and summoning the Best Supporting Actor trophy.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Bobby manages to save Chimney, who falls ill and starts coughing up blood while responding to the lab blaze.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Knowing which plants that are tricky to grow from seed will save you time, effort, and frustration Growing plants from seeds is a fun way to participate in the life cycle.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manumit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manumit. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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