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.
Cross border duty-free commerce in goods and services on the continent was $1.9 trillion in 2025, up from $297 billion in 1993.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
At the same time, the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a Clinton-era law that provides duty-free U.S. market access for some products from sub-Saharan countries, remains shaky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
And it will lower tariffs on more products, and give duty-free access to pasta, chocolate, potatoes, canned peaches, eggs and certain poultry products.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
However, a consistent duty-free regime across such a heterogenous continent could result in uneven gains, Johnston notes.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 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.
