duty-free
Americanadjective
-
free of customs duty or tax on imported or exported goods.
duty-free cargo; merchandise shipped duty-free.
-
pertaining to or selling goods for import or export free of the usual customs duty.
a duty-free shop at the airport.
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of duty-free
1680–90; duty (in the sense “an import or export tax”) + -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.
This allows several sub-Saharan African nations to export thousands of goods duty-free to the US.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
As of December 2024, China had already implemented a duty-free policy for 33 least-developed African nations.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
In December, her government imposed 50% tariffs on some Chinese products including electric vehicles to mirror U.S. policy and calm fears that Mexico would be a duty-free backdoor to the U.S. for Beijing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
That is a much bigger proposition than duty-free retail.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
She bought books and sprayed herself with unfamiliar perfume in duty-free.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
