set free
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To release from confinement, restraint, or a state of being bound. It means to grant liberty or freedom to someone or something that was previously held captive, imprisoned, or restricted.
- To relieve from an obligation, burden, or oppressive condition.
Usage
The verb "set free" is used with a direct object (the person or thing being released). It is often used in contexts involving physical liberation, such as from prison, but can also apply to abstract forms of release. - Structure: [Subject] sets [Object] free. or [Object] was set free by [Subject]. - It is a phrasal verb where "free" acts as a complement to the verb "set."
Examples
- Active Voice:
- The activists worked to set free the animals from the laboratory.
- The judge decided to set the prisoner free after new evidence emerged.
- Passive Voice:
- The hostages were finally set free after lengthy negotiations.
- Upon payment of the fine, the impounded vehicle was set free.
Advanced Usage
- Emancipation Context: Used in historical or legal contexts regarding the granting of freedom.
- The proclamation aimed to set free all enslaved people in the rebellious states.
- Metaphorical/Abstract Use: Can describe releasing someone from a non-physical constraint.
- Forgiving him set her free from years of anger and resentment.
- The scholarship set him free from financial worry, allowing him to focus on his studies.
Variants and Related Words
- Liberate (verb): A more formal synonym, often used in political or military contexts (e.g., ).
- Release (verb): A broader term for allowing someone or something to leave confinement or for making something available (e.g., , ).
- Emancipate (verb): Specifically means to set free from legal, social, or political restrictions (e.g., ).
- Free (verb): The simpler, more direct verb with the same core meaning (e.g., ).
Synonyms
- Free, liberate, release, emancipate, let go, discharge, let out.
Antonyms
- Imprison, incarcerate, confine, detain, enslave, capture, restrain.
Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions
- Turn loose: An informal synonym meaning to release or set free, often implying a lack of control over what happens next.
- They caught the bird but then turned it loose.
- Let out: To allow someone or something to leave a confined space.
- She let the cat out of the bag. (Note: This is also an idiom meaning "to reveal a secret.")
Verb
- grant freedom to
- The students liberated their slaves upon graduating from the university