free

[ free ]

/ fri /

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See synonyms for: free / freed / freeing / freer on Thesaurus.com

adjective, fre·er [free-er], /ˈfri ər/, fre·est [free-ist]. /ˈfri ɪst/.

enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery: a land of free people.

pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty: They were thankful to be living on free soil.

existing under, characterized by, or possessing civil and political liberties that are, as a rule, constitutionally guaranteed by representative government: the free nations of the world.

enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent.

exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.

able to do something at will; at liberty: free to choose.

clear of obstructions or obstacles, as a road or corridor: The highway is now free of fallen rock.

not occupied or in use: I'll try to phone her again if the line is free.

exempt or released from something specified that controls, restrains, burdens, etc. (usually followed by from or of): free from worry; free of taxes.See also -free.

having immunity or being safe (usually followed by from): free from danger.

provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: free parking; a free sample.

given without consideration of a return or reward: a free offer of legal advice.

unimpeded, as motion or movement; easy, firm, or swift.

not held fast; loose; unattached: to get one's arm free.

not joined to or in contact with something else: The free end of the cantilever sagged.

acting without self-restraint or reserve: to be too free with one's tongue.

ready or generous in giving; liberal; lavish: to be free with one's advice.

given readily or in profusion; unstinted.

frank and open; unconstrained, unceremonious, or familiar.

unrestrained by decency; loose or licentious: free behavior.

not subject to special regulations, restrictions, duties, etc.: The ship was given free passage.

of, relating to, or characterized by free enterprise: a free economy.

that may be used by or is open to all: a free market.

engaged in by all present; general: a free fight.

not literal, as a translation, adaptation, or the like; loose.

uncombined chemically: free oxygen.

traveling without power; under no force except that of gravity or inertia: free flight.

Phonetics. (of a vowel) situated in an open syllable (opposed to checked).

at liberty to enter and enjoy at will (usually followed by of): to be free of a friend's house.

not subject to rules, set forms, etc.: The young students had an hour of free play between classes.

easily worked, as stone, land, etc.

Mathematics. (of a vector) having specified magnitude and direction but no specified initial point.Compare bound¹ (def. 9).

Also large. Nautical. (of a wind) nearly on the quarter, so that a sailing vessel may sail free.

not containing a specified substance (usually followed by of or from): Our deli meats are free of additives.See also -free.

(of a linguistic form) occurring as an independent construction, without necessary combination with other forms, as most words.Compare bound¹ (def. 11).

without cost, payment, or charge.

adverb

in a free manner; freely.

Nautical. away from the wind, so that a sailing vessel need not be close-hauled: running free.

verb (used with object), freed, free·ing.

to make free; set at liberty; release from bondage, imprisonment, or restraint.

to exempt or deliver (usually followed by from).

to relieve or rid (usually followed by of): to free oneself of responsibility.

to disengage; clear (usually followed by from or of).

Verb Phrases

free up,

to release, as from restrictions: Congress voted to free up funds for the new highway system.
to disentangle: It took an hour to free up the traffic jam.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for free

for free, Informal. without charge: The tailor mended my jacket for free.

free and clear, Law. without any encumbrance, as a lien or mortgage: They owned their house free and clear.

free and easy,

unrestrained; casual; informal.
excessively or inappropriately casual; presumptuous.

make free with,

to use as one's own; help oneself to: If you make free with their liquor, you won't be invited again.
to treat with too much familiarity; take liberties with.

set free, to release; liberate; free: The prisoners were set free.

with a free hand, generously; freely; openhandedly: He entertains visitors with a free hand.

Origin of free

First recorded before 900; Middle English fre, Old English frēo; cognate with Gothic freis, Old High German frī (German frei ), Dutch vrij, Sanskrit priyá- “dear.” Cf. friend, Friday

synonym study for free

39. See release.

OTHER WORDS FROM free

freeness, nouno·ver·free, adjectiveo·ver·free·ly, adverbquasi-free, adjective

quasi-freely, adverbun·free, verb (used with object), un·freed, un·free·ing, adjectiveun·free·ly, adverb

Definition for free (2 of 2)

-free

a combining form with the general sense "free of or from something specified," and typically meaning "not having, containing, subject to, or affected by something unwanted, burdensome, etc.": error-free; gluten-free; tax-free; germfree.See also free (defs. 9, 34).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for free

In what might be considered a twist, that story wrapped up before the finale, leaving Sam and Dean free at last to live happily ever after.
Supernatural’s bonkers series finale marked the end of an era of fandom|Aja Romano|November 20, 2020|Vox
Apple and Google developed the underlying technology free, but many states still have struggled to make their own apps.
A covid-fighting tool is buried in your phone. Turn it on.|Geoffrey Fowler|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Without Thompson, the Warriors find themselves at a crossroads with free agency opening Friday.
Klay Thompson was almost back after an ACL tear. Now he’s out again with an Achilles tear.|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The 28-year-old guard will be a free agent next summer, and his name has been tossed into various trade scenarios before the start of the 2020-21 season.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

If you’re still holding out for something to feel normal in 2020, here comes the NBA free agency period.
The NBA offseason is a wild ride in normal times. This year? Buckle up.|Jerry Brewer|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
She says she will have to fight in “other ways” to get her client freed.
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts|Christopher Dickey|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was his business acumen, his own unflagging zeal for the creative business solution, that had freed Sam to do this.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kurdish forces declared victory and freed Yazidi holdouts, with help from U.S. air power.
Iraqi Kurds Get Their Groove Back, End Siege of Mount Sinjar|Jamie Dettmer|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gross and an unnamed American intelligence agent were freed Wednesday in exchange for three Cuban spies.
Cuba Protects America’s Most Wanted|Michael Daly|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He cites an interview that a freed POW, Air Force Lt. Col. William Harrison, gave to The New York Times in 1953.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built|Michael Daly|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She must be freed through the progress of Liberal ideas in France and Germany—not by her own inherent energies.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Freed from his presence, Black Sheep resolved that he should no longer be deprived of his allowance of pleasure-reading.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
I have seen examples of such being freed, that is, turned out of doors to starve.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
Jefferson proposed that the Negroes be freed and then sent out of the United States.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
If the hyposulphite of soda is entirely freed from them, they will bear any exposure to atmospheric influence without change.
Notes and Queries, Number 178, March 26, 1853|Various

British Dictionary definitions for free (1 of 2)

free

/ (friː) /

adjective freer or freest

able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint

having personal rights or liberty; not enslaved or confined
(as noun)land of the free

(often postpositive and foll by from) not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempta free market; free from pain

(of a country, etc) autonomous or independent

exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or inducedfree will

not subject to conventional constraintsfree verse

(of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis

not exact or literala free translation

costing nothing; provided without chargefree entertainment

law (of property)

not subject to payment of rent or performance of services; freehold
not subject to any burden or charge, such as a mortgage or lien; unencumbered

(postpositive; often foll by of or with) ready or generous in using or giving; liberal; lavishfree with advice

unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious

not occupied or in use; availablea free cubicle

not occupied or busy; without previous engagementsI'm not free until Wednesday

open or available to all; public

without charge to the subscriber or userfreepost; freephone

not fixed or joined; loosethe free end of a chain

without obstruction or impedimentfree passage

chem chemically uncombinedfree nitrogen

phonetics denoting a vowel that can occur in an open syllable, such as the vowel in see as opposed to the vowel in cat

grammar denoting a morpheme that can occur as a separate wordCompare bound 1 (def. 8a)

logic denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifierCompare bound 1 (def. 9)

(of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked

nautical (of the wind) blowing from the quarter

feel free (usually imperative) to regard oneself as having permission to perform a specified action

for free not standard without charge or cost

free and easy casual or tolerant; easy-going

make free with to take liberties with; behave too familiarly towards