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.
Open-source AI refers to models that can be freely used and modified.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
He has been known to freely give out his phone number.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, those at the back of the “Clubhouse” tier danced freely in yards of open space, twirling, to the dismay of the onlooking VIP crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
These writers freely borrowed plots, characters and rhetorical devices in the service of their own work.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
She had trouble sleeping, so she walked Cuttyhunk at all hours, visiting her sheep and cattle, which roamed the island freely everywhere except the gated places where most of the people lived.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
