free house

American

noun

British.

a tavern that, having no affiliation or contract with a particular brewery, serves several brands of beer, ale, etc.

free house British

noun

a public house not bound to sell only one brewer's products

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of free house

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

They say being a free house pub has been helpful, as they are in control of what they do.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

He lives above the free house with his wife and four kids and is happy.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2023

One resident tried to take advantage of the crisis and scheme a way into a free house by buying up vacant land and trying to claim that a home had moved onto it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2023

And you write that your "free" house had all these unexpected and expensive issues, including the roof having problems.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2021

“Kennel-man in ordinary to the Arrandoon, a free house and victuals found, I guess it ain’t half a bad sitivation.”

From Wild Adventures round the Pole The Cruise of the "Snowbird" Crew in the "Arrandoon" by Stables, Gordon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023