free trade

American  

noun

1. trade between countries, free from governmental restrictions or duties.

2. international trade free from protective duties and subject only to such tariffs as are needed for revenue.

3. the system, principles, or maintenance of such trade.

4. Chiefly Scot. smuggling.

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free trade British  

noun

1. international trade that is free of such government interference as import quotas, export subsidies, protective tariffs, etc Compare protection

2. archaic illicit trade; smuggling

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free trade Cultural  

1. Unrestricted trade among nations without government tariffs or customs duties on imports.

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Other Word Forms

• free-trade
  adjective
• prefree-trade
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of free trade

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

The first is find a collective and effective response to industrial overcapacity that undermines free trade.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Carney is under pressure to negotiate a win with the US on the North American free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which is undergoing a mandatory review this summer.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

If the bad blood bodes ill for Canada as it approaches a “review” of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade, you wouldn’t know it from the markets.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

He will be among the negotiators at the helm of high-stakes talks already underway to renew the North American free trade accord, a linchpin of Mexico’s export-dominated economy.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The agent poured himself a cup of free trade coffee from the wheezing pot, took a sip, and frowned.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray