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free
1[ free ]
adjective
- 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; available:
I think the main conference room is free, so we can meet there.
I'm moving to a new apartment, and that’s taking up most of my free time.
- exempt or released from something specified that controls, restrains, burdens, etc. (usually followed by from or of ): -free ( def ).
free from worry;
free of taxes.
- having immunity or being safe (usually followed by from ):
free from danger.
- provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: a free sample.
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 ( 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 bound 1( def 9 ).
- not containing a specified substance (usually followed by of or from ): -free ( def ).
Our deli meats are free of additives.
- (of a linguistic form) occurring as an independent construction, without necessary combination with other forms, as most words. Compare bound 1( 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)
- 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 phrase
- 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.
-free
2- 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.”: gluten-free; germfree.
error-free;
gluten-free;
tax-free;
germfree.
free
1/ friː /
adjective
- 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 postpositiveand foll byfrom not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempt
free from pain
a free market
- (of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
- exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or induced
free will
- not subject to conventional constraints
free verse
- (of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis
- not exact or literal
a free translation
- costing nothing; provided without charge
free 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; lavish
free with advice
- unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious
- not occupied or in use; available
a free cubicle
- not occupied or busy; without previous engagements
I'm not free until Wednesday
- open or available to all; public
- without charge to the subscriber or user
freephone
freepost
- not fixed or joined; loose
the free end of a chain
- without obstruction or impediment
free passage
- chem chemically uncombined
free 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 word Compare bound 1
- See boundlogic denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifier Compare bound 1
- (of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
- nautical (of the wind) blowing from the quarter
- feel freefeel free usually imperative to regard oneself as having permission to perform a specified action
- for free not_standard.for free without charge or cost
- free and easyfree and easy casual or tolerant; easy-going
- make free withmake free with to take liberties with; behave too familiarly towards
adverb
- in a free manner; freely
- without charge or cost
- nautical with the wind blowing from the quarter
a yacht sailing free
verb
- sometimes foll by up to set at liberty; release
- to remove obstructions, attachments, or impediments from; disengage
- often foll byof or from to relieve or rid (of obstacles, pain, etc)
noun
- informal.a freesheet
-free
2combining form
- free from
trouble-free
lead-free petrol
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Derived Forms
- ˈfreeness, noun
- ˈfreely, adverb
- ˈfreer, noun
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Other Words From
- free·ness noun
- o·ver·free adjective
- o·ver·free·ly adverb
- qua·si-free adjective
- qua·si-free·ly adverb
- un·free verb (used with object) unfreed unfreeing adjective
- un·free·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of free1
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Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
More idioms and phrases containing free
- breathe easy (freely)
- feel free
- footloose and fancy-free
- for free
- get off (scot-free)
- home free
- make free with
- of one's own accord (free will)
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
The advertisements also seemed to target women and working mothers with fat-free snacks to be eaten at work, on the go, and while “kickin’ back.”
You cannot think different in a nation where you cannot breathe free.
So, in some sense, the Swedes can have this very harmonious redistributive society because they’re free-riding off the cutthroat society.
Singapore’s government launched a similar initiative in 2019 when it partnered with Fitbit to provide Singapore residents with free Fitbit fitness trackers if they bought a premium subscription to the company’s coaching program.
Time’s Up, an organization that advocates for harassment-free workplaces for women, denounced the host’s use of the phrase.
In other words, the free thinker defending freedom of thought.
Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.
The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a haven for foreign journalists.
In other words, the free speech exhibited by the folks at Charlie Hebdo was not virtuous—until there was a body count.
What need to look to right or left when you are swallowing up free mile after mile of dizzying road?
It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.
If we can free this State of Yankees, we will accomplish more than your armies down south have.
The voice of the orator peculiarly should be free from studied effects, and responsive to motive.
Above all, he was amazed to hear me talk of a mercenary standing army in the midst of peace and among a free people.
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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.
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