free market

American  

noun

1. an economic system in which prices and wages are determined by unrestricted competition between businesses, without government regulation or fear of monopolies.

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free market British  

noun

1. 1. an economic system that allows supply and demand to regulate prices, wages, etc, rather than government policy

   2. ( as modifier )

      a free-market economy

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free market Cultural  

1. The production and exchange of goods and services without interference from the government or from monopolies.

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Other Word Forms

• free marketeer
  noun
• free-market
  adjective

Example Sentences

But people don’t want a free market with live music.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

He addressed pro-democracy demonstrators during the city's 2014 Umbrella Movement, speaking in favour of a "free market in leadership".

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

So the advisory firms arose from a free market to offer them analysis.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026

In a free market, countries that constantly run big trade surpluses with the U.S. would be flooded with extra dollars beyond what they needed to buy imports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

The fate of Scion Capital turned on these bets, but that fate was not, in the short run, determined by an open and free market.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• liberalism