free trade
Americannoun
-
trade between countries, free from governmental restrictions or duties.
-
international trade free from protective duties and subject only to such tariffs as are needed for revenue.
-
the system, principles, or maintenance of such trade.
-
Chiefly Scot. smuggling.
noun
-
international trade that is free of such government interference as import quotas, export subsidies, protective tariffs, etc Compare protection
-
archaic illicit trade; smuggling
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of free trade
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
Their proximity - and free trade agreements in place since the 1990s - has allowed the two countries to develop one of the world's most deeply economically integrated trading relationships.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The escalation also puts into question the future of a North American free trade pact between Canada, the US and Mexico called the USMCA.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He stood for enterprise, individual liberty and free trade, and against the tyranny of state-sponsored monopolies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
As exports plummet owing to a ban on U.S. wine and liquor, California lawmakers ask Quebec’s premier to sidestep the president, lift the prohibition and promote free trade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
The agent poured himself a cup of free trade coffee from the wheezing pot, took a sip, and frowned.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
