1. 1. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
   2. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing.
   3. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor. See synonyms at freedom.
2. Freedom from unjust or undue governmental control.
3. A right or immunity to engage in certain actions without control or interference: the liberties protected by the Bill of Rights.
4. 1. A breach or overstepping of propriety or social convention. Often used in the plural.
   2. A statement, attitude, or action not warranted by conditions or actualities: a historical novel that takes liberties with chronology.
   3. An unwarranted risk; a chance: took foolish liberties on the ski slopes.
5. A period, usually short, during which a sailor is authorized to go ashore.

at liberty

1. Not in confinement or under constraint; free.
2. Not employed, occupied, or in use.

[Middle English liberte, from Old French, from Latin lībertās, from līber, free.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.