Be at liberty to do something means to be allowed, free to do it: Participants are at liberty to leave the workshop early. It sounds formal. It's most often heard with not: I'm not at liberty to say — 'I'm not allowed to tell you'. The person knows the answer but isn't permitted to share it.
Want to use at liberty to in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
be at liberty to + verb; not be at liberty to disclose / discuss / reveal something
- Participants are at liberty to leave the workshop early.
- The archive staff are not at liberty to share donors' home addresses.
- You are at liberty to choose a different supplier.
What changed
First versionEmployees are at liberty choose their break times.
RevisionEmployees are at liberty to choose their break times.
At liberty already sounds like a complete idea, so the verb gets added straight after it: at liberty choose. But at liberty needs to before the verb, just like free to: at liberty to choose. With to added, the sentence is correct.
Free to do means the same and is simpler, for conversation: You're free to leave. At liberty to is more formal, for rules and letters. At liberty without a verb means 'free, not in prison': the suspect is still at liberty, meaning not yet caught.
Your turn
We do not have permission to reveal the result: We are not at liberty ___ disclose it.
Show the answer
to — At liberty is followed by to and a verb: not at liberty to disclose. For doesn't go before the base form of a verb.
A client asks how much another customer pays your company. Politely refuse in one sentence with not at liberty to.
I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss other clients' prices.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.