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

In a May 2025 motion to dismiss the suit, the trade group and advertisers called it “an attempt to use the courthouse to win back the business X lost in the free market.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Paradoxically, the union has embraced the principles of Adam Smith: Let the free market work.

From Los Angeles Times

It was really a wager over human beings and free markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

But many experts see few parallels with Venezuela, which, unlike Cuba, has a recent history of free markets and opposition parties, while lacking Cuba’s ubiquitous security architecture.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• liberalism