enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery.
a land of free people.
pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty.
They were thankful to be living on free soil.
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.
enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent.
exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.
able to do something at will; at liberty.
free to choose.
clear of obstructions or obstacles, as a road or corridor.
The highway is now free of fallen rock.
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.
exempt or released from something specified that controls, restrains, burdens, etc. (usually followed by from orof ).
free from worry;
free of taxes.
having immunity or being safe (usually followed byfrom ).
free from danger.
provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: a free sample.
free parking;
a free sample.
given without consideration of a return or reward.
a free offer of legal advice.
unimpeded, as motion or movement; easy, firm, or swift.
not held fast; loose; unattached.
to get one's arm free.
not joined to or in contact with something else.
The free end of the cantilever sagged.
acting without self-restraint or reserve.
to be too free with one's tongue.
ready or generous in giving; liberal; lavish.
to be free with one's advice.
given readily or in profusion; unstinted.
frank and open; unconstrained, unceremonious, or familiar.
unrestrained by decency; loose or licentious.
free behavior.
not subject to special regulations, restrictions, duties, etc..
The ship was given free passage.
of, relating to, or characterized by free enterprise.
a free economy.
that may be used by or is open to all.
a free market.
engaged in by all present; general.
a free fight.
not literal, as a translation, adaptation, or the like; loose.
uncombined chemically.
free oxygen.
traveling without power; under no force except that of gravity or inertia.
free flight.
Phonetics. (of a vowel) situated in an open syllable (opposed to checked).
at liberty to enter and enjoy at will (usually followed byof ).
to be free of a friend's house.
not subject to rules, set forms, etc..
The young students had an hour of free play between classes.
easily worked, as stone, land, etc.
Mathematics. (of a vector) having specified magnitude and direction but no specified initial point.
Nautical. Also (of a wind) nearly on the quarter, so that a sailing vessel may sail free.
not containing a specified substance (usually followed by of orfrom ).
Our deli meats are free of additives.
(of a linguistic form) occurring as an independent construction, without necessary combination with other forms, as most words.
without cost, payment, or charge.
in a free manner; freely.
Nautical. away from the wind, so that a sailing vessel need not be close-hauled.
running free.
to make free; set at liberty; release from bondage, imprisonment, or restraint.
to exempt or deliver (usually followed byfrom ).
to relieve or rid (usually followed byof ).
to free oneself of responsibility.
to disengage; clear (usually followed by from orof ).
with a free hand, generously; freely; openhandedly.
He entertains visitors with a free hand.
for free, without charge.
The tailor mended my jacket for free.
free and clear, without any encumbrance, as a lien or mortgage.
They owned their house free and clear.
free and easy,
unrestrained; casual; informal.
excessively or inappropriately casual; presumptuous.
make free with,
to use as one's own; help oneself to.
If you make free with their liquor, you won't be invited again.
to treat with too much familiarity; take liberties with.
set free, to release; liberate; free.
The prisoners were set free.
able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint
having personal rights or liberty; not enslaved or confined
( as noun )
land of the free
not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempt
a free market
free from pain
(of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or induced
free will
not subject to conventional constraints
free verse
(of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis
not exact or literal
a free translation
costing nothing; provided without charge
free entertainment
law
not subject to payment of rent or performance of services; freehold
not subject to any burden or charge, such as a mortgage or lien; unencumbered
(postpositive; often foll by of or with) ready or generous in using or giving; liberal; lavish
free with advice
unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious
not occupied or in use; available
a free cubicle
not occupied or busy; without previous engagements
I'm not free until Wednesday
open or available to all; public
without charge to the subscriber or user
freepost
freephone
not fixed or joined; loose
the free end of a chain
without obstruction or impediment
free passage
chem chemically uncombined
free nitrogen
phonetics denoting a vowel that can occur in an open syllable, such as the vowel in see as opposed to the vowel in cat
grammar denoting a morpheme that can occur as a separate word Compare bound 1
logic denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifier Compare bound 1
(of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
nautical (of the wind) blowing from the quarter
(usually imperative) to regard oneself as having permission to perform a specified action
not_standard without charge or cost
casual or tolerant; easy-going
to take liberties with; behave too familiarly towards
in a free manner; freely
without charge or cost
nautical with the wind blowing from the quarter
a yacht sailing free
(sometimes foll by up) to set at liberty; release
to remove obstructions, attachments, or impediments from; disengage
to relieve or rid (of obstacles, pain, etc)
What does -free mean? The combining form -free 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.
See release.
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.” Cf. friend, Friday
Something that costs nothing is free. We can also say that someone is free of pain, which means they have none. This word has many meanings. On Mondays, admission to some museums is free — there's no charge. Often, people say the best things in life are free, usually meaning love and friendship. We live in a free country, which means we have a lot of rights and freedoms, such as freedom of the press. The word has a similar meaning when we say a prisoner goes free, or philosophers talk about free will: the belief that we make our own decisions, not ones forced on us by society, culture, or a higher power.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In his 2012 autobiography "An American Son," the man oft-memed as the "viceroy" of Cuba, recounts boasting to his exiled Cuban grandfather that he would one day overthrow Fidel Castro and free Cuba.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Samantha McBride, a University of Pennsylvania professor studying water security and sustainability, said it’s unlikely that any bottled versions are completely free of microplastic traces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
As the chart below shows, the decline in hyperscalers’ forward free cash flow has been mostly offset by a surge in expected cash flows for a basket of semiconductor stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
For those less invested in any one vision of the Strokes, it’s enjoyable to hear the band sounding free and risking failure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Best-seller status meant Elisha only had a few months before he would be free of his family’s financial control.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
AT&T said it received a “favorable” ruling from the IRS, signaling that the deal to combine WarnerMedia with Discovery would be tax -free for shareholders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2021
A few years ago, Binance was all but blocked in the U.S., while it had a freer hand to operate in the EU.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Ng noted that if Beijing "truly wants to accelerate" the internationalisation of China's yuan currency, "it will need to accept freer cross-border capital movement".
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
But her long struggle against military rule has made her synonymous with hopes of a freer, more democratic future.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
So that’s all quite new and it’s very exciting because it kind of makes you feel safer and freer to be more yourself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
His mouse paws tugged at the hood until her mouth was freer, and she gulped at the frozen air.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Once El Daña and Oakley step on stage for the show, drag allows them to be their freest selves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF seeks exposure to “the freest emerging markets, because we believe those are the places to find the next big growth stories,” Tolle said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 17, 2025
Spain today is one of the freest countries in the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
He says he plans to "forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and most dominant civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth."
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
And all this is happening in the richest and freest country in the world, and in the middle of the twentieth century.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
According to Riesenhuber, transferring a well-learned skill into the temporal cortex frees the prefrontal cortex to focus on new challenges, allowing existing knowledge to serve as the foundation for future learning.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
This frees Lodge Quai from having to fix a leaky factory roof in, say, Düsseldorf, and it allows the local company not only to optimize its expenses, but more importantly redeploy its locked-up capital.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Moore said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the declaration frees up funds that can bring in more resources in the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
A simple example: allowing builders to use a single central staircase, instead of two, which frees up space to add larger apartment units more suitable for families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Woo scrambles into view with Autumn’s sword—with one strike and a wartime whistle, the aboatia frees Autumn from Nansi’s hold.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“It freed a lot of things, in our personal and professional lives,” she added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Burnham announced last week that he was pausing the scheme, which would have seen about 700 prisoners freed in the first phase in September, following a backlash from survivors and victims.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
What caught my eye as a scholar interested in popular constitutionalism was the way freed people made direct claims on the text of the state constitution.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
In Gatlinburg, Tenn., police in May freed a bear that locked itself in a hotel restroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The warmth of his gaze freed Ella's tears.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
There is also an amazing collection of letters written primarily by Black parents to Union Army officials, asking for help freeing their children.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
"There's more familiarity than there was even a year ago," he said, adding that this is freeing up creative teams to focus more on story and style.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Different solutions have been designed for those who may not benefit from a trip to A&E, freeing up finite resources for those who definitely would.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
What began as a trickle of oil in April expanded into a slick operation freeing massive amounts of oil and alleviating one of the worst shocks to energy markets in decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Erickson, based at the University of Pennsylvania, worked in concert with a Bolivian archaeologist, who that day was elsewhere, freeing up a seat in the plane for me.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
