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

See Examples For:

free market

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

For Jetter, Merz's China trip is a chance to take a "clear stance" that Germany believes in "a free market economy that is rules-based and wants a level playing field".

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

Armstrong, and others in the crypto world, say the free market should reign and that banks can simply pay higher interest rates to compete with stablecoins or get into the stablecoin business themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

The future of Rodman was of great interest to Europe's most successful clubs with the potential to pick up a world-class player in the free market.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

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