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Synonyms

free port

American  

noun

  1. a port or special section of a port where goods may be unloaded, stored, and shipped without payment of customs duties.

  2. a port open under equal conditions to all traders.


free port British  

noun

  1. a port open to all commercial vessels on equal terms

  2. Also called: free zone.  a zone adjoining a port that permits the duty-free entry of foreign goods intended for re-export

"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 port

First recorded in 1705–15

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.

See Examples For:

Odesa’s free port status financed its extraordinary architectural flowering in the 1800s and helped build its vibrant multiethnic society.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 21, 2024

It may be that a free port and international status for the town, with Italian sovereignty in cultural questions, would best serve the Allied and European cause, especially during the years of transition.

From The Guardian May 6, 2020

However, the supporters of a Teesside free port believe they can prove that it will make more money than it costs.

From BBC Nov. 28, 2018

As a free port, it was excluded from Europe’s customs union, allowing it to build up its trading and services activities on advantageous transit and taxation terms.

From New York Times May 5, 2016

Trade.—Hong-Kong being a free port, there are no official figures as to the amount of trade; but the value of the exports and imports is estimated as about �50,000,000 in the year.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various

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