Free State
Americannoun
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U.S. History. (before the Civil War) a state in which slavery was prohibited.
noun
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a province of central South Africa; replaced the former province of Orange Free State in 1994: gold and uranium mining. Capital: Bloemfontein. Pop: 2 950 661 (2004 est). Area: 129 480 sq km (49 992 sq miles)
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history (before the Civil War) any state prohibiting slavery
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short for Irish Free State
Etymology
Origin of Free State
First recorded in 1640–50
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.
Tracks from the Triassic and Jurassic periods are common in Lesotho and nearby regions of South Africa, including the Free State and Eastern Cape.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
Cameras positioned at the entrance track his every move, while reams of barbed wire surround the farm in the rural Free State province in the heart of South Africa.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
During his Springbok tenure, the former Free State flanker, who won 37 international caps, has innovated with strokes of genius such as naming a bench with just one back and rolling mauls in open play.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
Among them is the Free State, one of the three South African provinces that share a border with the small southern African nation.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025
He’s from the North and he leaves you here to get the relief from the Irish Free State.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
