scot-free

American

[skot-free] / ˈskɒtˈfri /

adjective

completely free from harm, restraint, punishment, or obligation.

The driver of the car escaped from the accident scot-free. The judge let the defendant off scot-free.

scot-free British

adverb

(predicative) without harm, loss, or penalty

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of scot-free

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at scot, -free

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

scot-free

This doesn’t mean banks are going to get off scot-free if the Fed keeps pushing rates higher, or if longer-term bond yields stay high for a long time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

But critics say that only the small-time players ever get arrested, with the ringleaders most often getting off scot-free.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

There are other similarly situated individuals who get off scot-free for perjury.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2025

And there must be others who are guilty of traffic infractions in Greenwich who have got off scot-free.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2023

But looking at Dr. Begbie now, seeing the deep lines carved in her face that no one in their twenties should have had, I wasn’t so sure they had gotten off scot-free.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023