Advertisement

View synonyms for free

free

1

[ free ]

adjective

, fre·er [free, -er], fre·est [free, -ist].
  1. enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery:

    a land of free people.

  2. pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty:

    They were thankful to be living on free soil.

  3. existing under, characterized by, or possessing civil and political liberties that are, as a rule, constitutionally guaranteed by representative government:

    the free nations of the world.

  4. enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent.
  5. exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.
  6. able to do something at will; at liberty:

    free to choose.

  7. clear of obstructions or obstacles, as a road or corridor:

    The highway is now free of fallen rock.

  8. not occupied or in use; available:

    I think the main conference room is free, so we can meet there.

    I'm moving to a new apartment, and that’s taking up most of my free time.

  9. exempt or released from something specified that controls, restrains, burdens, etc. (usually followed by from or of ): -free ( def ).

    free from worry;

    free of taxes.

  10. having immunity or being safe (usually followed by from ):

    free from danger.

  11. provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: a free sample.

    free parking;

    a free sample.

  12. given without consideration of a return or reward:

    a free offer of legal advice.

  13. unimpeded, as motion or movement; easy, firm, or swift.
  14. not held fast; loose; unattached:

    to get one's arm free.

  15. not joined to or in contact with something else:

    The free end of the cantilever sagged.

  16. acting without self-restraint or reserve:

    to be too free with one's tongue.

  17. ready or generous in giving; liberal; lavish:

    to be free with one's advice.

  18. given readily or in profusion; unstinted.
  19. frank and open; unconstrained, unceremonious, or familiar.
  20. unrestrained by decency; loose or licentious:

    free behavior.

  21. not subject to special regulations, restrictions, duties, etc.:

    The ship was given free passage.

  22. of, relating to, or characterized by free enterprise:

    a free economy.

  23. that may be used by or is open to all:

    a free market.

  24. engaged in by all present; general:

    a free fight.

  25. not literal, as a translation, adaptation, or the like; loose.
  26. uncombined chemically:

    free oxygen.

  27. traveling without power; under no force except that of gravity or inertia:

    free flight.

  28. Phonetics. (of a vowel) situated in an open syllable ( checked ).
  29. at liberty to enter and enjoy at will (usually followed by of ):

    to be free of a friend's house.

  30. not subject to rules, set forms, etc.:

    The young students had an hour of free play between classes.

  31. easily worked, as stone, land, etc.
  32. Mathematics. (of a vector) having specified magnitude and direction but no specified initial point. Compare bound 1( def 9 ).
  33. Also . Nautical. (of a wind) nearly on the quarter, so that a sailing vessel may sail free.
  34. not containing a specified substance (usually followed by of or from ): -free ( def ).

    Our deli meats are free of additives.

  35. (of a linguistic form) occurring as an independent construction, without necessary combination with other forms, as most words. Compare bound 1( def 11 ).
  36. without cost, payment, or charge.


adverb

  1. in a free manner; freely.
  2. Nautical. away from the wind, so that a sailing vessel need not be close-hauled:

    running free.

verb (used with object)

, freed, free·ing.
  1. to make free; set at liberty; release from bondage, imprisonment, or restraint.
  2. to exempt or deliver (usually followed by from ).
  3. to relieve or rid (usually followed by of ):

    to free oneself of responsibility.

  4. to disengage; clear (usually followed by from or of ).

verb phrase

    1. to release, as from restrictions:

      Congress voted to free up funds for the new highway system.

    2. to disentangle:

      It took an hour to free up the traffic jam.

-free

2
  1. a combining form with the general sense “free of or from something specified,” and typically meaning “not having, containing, subject to, or affected by something unwanted, burdensome, etc.”: gluten-free; germfree.

    error-free;

    gluten-free;

    tax-free;

    germfree.

free

1

/ friː /

adjective

  1. able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint
    1. having personal rights or liberty; not enslaved or confined
    2. ( as noun )

      land of the free

  2. often postpositiveand foll byfrom not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempt

    a free market

    free from pain

  3. (of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
  4. exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or induced

    free will

  5. not subject to conventional constraints

    free verse

  6. (of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis
  7. not exact or literal

    a free translation

  8. costing nothing; provided without charge

    free entertainment

  9. law of property
    1. not subject to payment of rent or performance of services; freehold
    2. not subject to any burden or charge, such as a mortgage or lien; unencumbered
  10. postpositive; often foll by of or with ready or generous in using or giving; liberal; lavish

    free with advice

  11. unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious
  12. not occupied or in use; available

    a free cubicle

  13. not occupied or busy; without previous engagements

    I'm not free until Wednesday

  14. open or available to all; public
  15. without charge to the subscriber or user

    freepost

    freephone

  16. not fixed or joined; loose

    the free end of a chain

  17. without obstruction or impediment

    free passage

  18. chem chemically uncombined

    free nitrogen

  19. phonetics denoting a vowel that can occur in an open syllable, such as the vowel in see as opposed to the vowel in cat
  20. grammar denoting a morpheme that can occur as a separate word Compare bound 1
  21. logic denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifier Compare bound 1
  22. (of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
  23. nautical (of the wind) blowing from the quarter
  24. feel free
    usually imperative to regard oneself as having permission to perform a specified action
  25. for free not_standard.
    without charge or cost
  26. free and easy
    casual or tolerant; easy-going
  27. make free with
    to take liberties with; behave too familiarly towards
“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

adverb

  1. in a free manner; freely
  2. without charge or cost
  3. nautical with the wind blowing from the quarter

    a yacht sailing free

“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

verb

  1. sometimes foll by up to set at liberty; release
  2. to remove obstructions, attachments, or impediments from; disengage
  3. often foll byof or from to relieve or rid (of obstacles, pain, etc)
“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

noun

  1. informal.
    a freesheet
“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

-free

2

combining form

  1. free from

    lead-free petrol

    trouble-free

“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
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈfreer, noun
  • ˈfreeness, noun
  • ˈfreely, adverb
Discover More

Other Words From

  • free·ness noun
  • o·ver·free adjective
  • o·ver·free·ly adverb
  • qua·si-free adjective
  • qua·si-free·ly adverb
  • un·free verb (used with object) unfreed unfreeing adjective
  • un·free·ly adverb
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of free1

First recorded before 900; Middle English fre, Old English frēo; cognate with Gothic freis, Old High German frī ( German frei ), Dutch vrij, Sanskrit priyá- “dear.” friend, Friday
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of free1

Old English frēo ; related to Old Saxon, Old High German frī , Gothic freis free, Sanskrit priya dear
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. for free, Informal. without charge:

    The tailor mended my jacket for free.

  2. free and clear, Law. without any encumbrance, as a lien or mortgage:

    They owned their house free and clear.

  3. free and easy,
    1. unrestrained; casual; informal.
    2. excessively or inappropriately casual; presumptuous.
  4. make free with,
    1. to use as one's own; help oneself to:

      If you make free with their liquor, you won't be invited again.

    2. to treat with too much familiarity; take liberties with.
  5. set free, to release; liberate; free:

    The prisoners were set free.

  6. with a free hand, generously; freely; openhandedly:

    He entertains visitors with a free hand.

More idioms and phrases containing free

  • breathe easy (freely)
  • feel free
  • footloose and fancy-free
  • for free
  • get off (scot-free)
  • home free
  • make free with
  • of one's own accord (free will)
Discover More

Synonym Study

See release.
Discover More

Example Sentences

And even though he claimed the Cy Young again in 2023, going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA to become just the seventh pitcher in history to win the award in both leagues, his market as a free agent last winter never developed as he hoped, forcing him to settle for a two-year, $62-million deal with the San Francisco Giants shortly before opening day.

When the Arctic Ocean has less than 1 million square kilometers of ice, scientists say the Arctic is ice free.

Previous projections of Arctic sea ice change have focused on predicting when the ocean will become ice free for a full month.

Hunter, who was facing a potential sentence of years in prison for tax evasion and lying on a federal firearms application, is now free to pursue his career as a middling painter of overpriced art.

As a certified public accountant, Kwan allegedly prepared fraudulent tax returns, and encouraged other employees to participate in the scheme by offering free or discounted tax services, prosecutors say.

Advertisement

Discover More

Words That Use -free

What does -free mean?

The combining formfree is used like a suffix meaning “free of or from something specified.” It is often separated from the initial element with a hyphen, as in gluten-free.

The form –free is native to English.

Examples of -free

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –free is germfree, “free of germs; sterile.”

As we have seen, the combining form –free means “free of or from something specified.” Here, the “something specified” in the germ– part of the word is germs. Germfree literally means “free of germs.”

What are some words that use the combining form –free?

What are some other forms that –free may be commonly confused with?

Break it down!

The word duty has a variety of meanings, including “a tax imposed by law on the import or export of goods.” With this in mind, what does duty-free mean?

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement