a person who supports or advocates free trade
archaic a smuggler or smuggling vessel
First recorded in 1690–1700; free trade + -er 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“She’s more of a free trader than I am,” said Robert E. Lighthizer, who served as the United States Trade Representative under former President Donald J. Trump.
From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022
He is also—contrary to Trump as well as some of his rivals in the upcoming primaries, notably Sen. Bernie Sanders—an unabashed free trader.
From Slate • May 2, 2019
“I’m a free trader; I’m a fair trader,” Barrasso said when pressed by Todd to respond to the threat.
From Washington Post • Dec. 2, 2018
He also calls himself a free trader who wants to eliminate tariffs altogether as well as industry subsidies and non-tariff trade barriers across countries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 25, 2018
It isn't the free trader; it's the Company.
From The Drama of the Forests Romance and Adventure by Heming, Arthur Henry Howard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
