scot-free
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of scot-free
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at scot, -free
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.
The second case for concern is the idea that the British are bringing the powerful to account while America is letting them off scot-free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
But the jury will soon hear that New York criminal law is not so naïve as to allow the ringleader of a criminal scheme to get off scot-free, simply because his minions did the deeds.
From Slate ● May 15, 2024
When Georgia re-entered the Union, the military court closed up shop and newly empowered state prosecutors abandoned the case, letting the murderers off scot-free.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2023
Judge Thomas KC said this meant George's son "was not in any way sanctioned" and got away "scot-free".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2023
Grandma may have escaped the horrors of the Holocaust, but she didn’t get off scot-free.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
