- Home
- Idioms
- at liberty
at liberty
at liberty
Freely able to do something. I know you're curious about the case, but I'm not at liberty to talk about it.
at liberty
free; unrestrained. The criminal was set at liberty by the judge. You're at liberty to go anywhere you wish. I'm not at liberty to discuss the matter.
at liberty
able or allowed to do something
I'm not at liberty to discuss this with you. Usage notes: often used in a negative statement, as in the example
at liberty
Free, not obligated; also, not occupied. For example, I am not at liberty to tell you the whole story, or " I ... washed when there was a basin at liberty" (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847). This idiom is often used in a negative context, as in the first example. [First half of 1800s]
at liberty
1. Not in confinement or under constraint; free.
2. Entitled or permitted to do something: We found ourselves at liberty to explore the grounds.