free trade

noun

1. trade between countries, free from governmental restrictions or duties.

2. international trade free from protective duties and subject only to such tariffs as are needed for revenue.

3. the system, principles, or maintenance of such trade.

4. Chiefly Scot.,  smuggling.

free trade

noun

1. international trade that is free of such government interference as import quotas, export subsidies, protective tariffs, etc Compare protection

2. archaic,  illicit trade; smuggling

free trade

1. Unrestricted trade among nations without government tariffs or customs duties on imports.

Other Word Forms

• free-trade adjective
• prefree-trade adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of free trade¹

First recorded in 1600–10