liberate
v.v. to set someone or something free from a situation that limits them. You can use it for people, countries, or even ideas.
v. to set free from imprisonment, slavery, or enemy occupation; to release from social or legal constraints. Often implies a transition to a state of autonomy.
The soldiers arrived to liberate the city from the invaders.
The new law aims to liberate small businesses from excessive government paperwork and high taxes.
While the movement sought to liberate the workforce from manual drudgery through automation, many employees feared that these technological advances would lead to widespread job displacement.
Borrowed from Latin līberātus, the perfect passive participle of līberō (“to set free, deliver”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from līber (“free”); see liberal.
Borrowed from Latin līberātus, originally used as the past participle of liberate, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
From Middle English liberate (the common first word of such writs), from Medieval Latin līberātum, substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of līberātus, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Alternatively, from līberāte, the second-person plural imperative of līberō, compare English allocate (“a warrant for the payment of a pension, allowance, debt, etc.”).
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In humorous or colloquial contexts, it can mean to steal or 'borrow' something without permission.