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Definition

freedom noun

/ˈfriː.dəm/ n
[C or U] the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited
I felt such a sense of freedom, up in the hills alone.
Children are allowed much more freedom these days.
[+ to infinitive] At university, you have the freedom to do what you want.
Everyone should be allowed freedom of choice (= the ability to make their own choices).
Freedom of speech and freedom of thought (= The ability to say and think whatever you want) were both denied under the dictatorship.
They are campaigning for freedom of information (= for any information to be allowed to be given to anyone who wants it).
We demand freedom from injustice/persecution (= the condition of not having to suffer these things).
Compare: liberty
[C] a right to act in the way you think you should
Being able to vote as you want to is an important political/democratic freedom.
[U] the state of not being in prison
They regained their freedom after ten years of unjust imprisonment.

give sb the freedom of

in Britain, to honour someone by giving them special rights in a particular city
See also: freeman

(Definition of freedom noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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