freely
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of freely
before 900; Middle English freliche, Old English frēolīce. See free, -ly
Explanation
When you do something freely, you act without restraint or control by anyone or anything. Weekends are best when you can freely choose when to wake up and what to do with your days. Many people spend their childhoods yearning to be older so they can freely live their lives. On a smaller scale, if you let your backyard chickens roam unchecked around your property, they can move freely; and if you ice skate on a lake instead of a small indoor rink, you can move freely, in any direction, without being scolded. Freely comes from free, with its Old English root freo, "acting of one's own will."
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.
“Salsa seems to me like a stage that invites one to express themselves fully, speak loudly, dance freely and feel powerful.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Without air molecules to slow them down, methane molecules move freely under the influence of gravity, bouncing across the surface as sunlight energizes them and colder temperatures reduce their speed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
The cone of silence around the wedding is the only place in which these dueling Swifts can freely coexist.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
I hope that all our church members are freed and that China becomes a place where all people can freely worship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
There are a few trucks, freely loaned about in good weather to any valley farmer who must take his pigs or calves to market.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
