free trade

American  

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.

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free trade British  

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

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free trade Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• free-trade adjective
• prefree-trade adjective

Etymology

Origin of free trade

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

"A free economic zone. If we are discussing this, then we need to go to a referendum," Zelensky said, referring to plans to designate areas Ukraine pulls out from as a demilitarised free trade zone.

From Barron's

Heritage once supported free trade; now it is protectionist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay had hoped they would on Saturday finally seal a deal with the EU to create the world's largest free trade zone.

From Barron's

She said the deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay—which would create one of the world’s largest free trade areas—is crucially important for Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the first time in decades, German businesses and politicians are questioning the unfettered free trade that turned the country into an industrial powerhouse.

From The Wall Street Journal