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Definition of 'free'

Word Frequency

free

(friː )
Word forms: comparative freer , superlative freest , 3rd person singular present tense frees , present participle freeing , past tense, past participle freed
1. adjective
If something is free, you can have it or use it without paying for it.
The seminars are free, with lunch provided.
...a free brochure with details of gift vouchers.
Synonyms: complimentary, for free [informal], for nothing, unpaid   More Synonyms of free
2.  free of charge
3. adjective [oft ADJECTIVE to-infinitive]
Someone or something that is free is not restricted, controlled, or limited, for example by rules, customs, or other people.
The government will be free to pursue its economic policies.
The elections were free and fair.
Economists argued that freer markets would quickly revive the region's economy.
He wrote that a free press is essential to a democratic society.
Dogs were allowed to roam free and 48 sheep were killed.
Synonyms: allowed, permitted, unrestricted, unimpeded   More Synonyms of free
freely adverb [ADVERB with verb]
They cast their votes freely and without coercion on election day.
Merchandise can now circulate freely among the E.U. countries.
Synonyms: without restraint, voluntarily, willingly, unchallenged   More Synonyms of free
4. verb
If you free someone of something that is unpleasant or restricting, you remove it from them.
It will free us of a whole lot of debt. [V n of/from n]
The 30-year-old star is trying to free himself from his recording contract. [V n + of/from]
Synonyms: clear, deliver, disengage, cut loose   More Synonyms of free
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun, verb-link ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE after verb]
Someone who is free is no longer a prisoner or a slave.
He walked from the court house a free man.
More than ninety prisoners have been set free so far under a government amnesty.
6. verb
To free a prisoner or a slave means to let them go or release them from prison.
The new government said it had freed all political prisoners. [VERB noun]
The act had a specific intent, to protect freed slaves from white mobs. [VERB-ed]
7. adjective
If someone or something is free of or free from an unpleasant thing, they do not have it or they are not affected by it.
...a future far more free of fear. [+ of/from]
The filtration system provides the crew with clean air free from fumes.
8. adjective
A sum of money or type of goods that is free of tax or duty is one that you do not have to pay tax on.
9.  See also duty-free, interest-free, tax-free
10. verb
To free someone or something means to make them available for a task or function that they were previously not available for.
Toolbelts free both hands and lessen the risk of dropping hammers. [VERB noun]
His deal with Disney will run out shortly, freeing him to pursue his own project. [VERB noun to-infinitive]
There were more civilians working for the police, freeing officers from desk jobs. [V n + from/of/for]
Free up means the same as free.
It can handle even the most complex graphic jobs, freeing up your computer for other tasks. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
11. adjective
If you have a free period of time or are free at a particular time, you are not working or occupied then.
She spent her free time shopping.
I used to write during my free periods at school.
I am always free at lunchtime.
Synonyms: non-working, leisure, unemployed, idle   More Synonyms of free
12. adjective
If something such as a table or seat is free, it is not being used or occupied by anyone, or is not reserved for anyone to use.
There was only one seat free on the train.
They took the only free table, which was just inside the door.
Synonyms: available, extra, empty, spare   More Synonyms of free
13. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you get something free or if it gets free, it is no longer trapped by anything or attached to anything.
The severe conditions hampered attempts to pull the vessel free of the rig.
He pulled his arm free, and strode for the door.
The shark was writhing around wildly, trying to get free.
14. verb
If you free someone or something, you remove them from the place in which they have been trapped or become fixed.
It took firemen two hours to cut through the drive belt to free him. [VERB noun]
He managed to free one hand to ward off a punch. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: disentangle, extricate, disengage, detach   More Synonyms of free
15. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
When someone is using one hand or arm to hold or move something, their other hand or arm is referred to as their free one.
He snatched up the receiver and his free hand groped for the switch on the bedside lamp.
She checked her fall with her free arm.
16. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE with noun]
If you say that someone is free with something such as advice or money, you mean that they give a lot of it, sometimes when it is not wanted.
[disapproval]
They weren't always so free with their advice.
They would often be free with criticism, some of it unjustified.
Synonyms: generous, willing, liberal, eager   More Synonyms of free
17. 
feel free
18. 
for free
19. 
for free
20.  to give someone a free hand
Phrasal verbs:
free up
More Synonyms of free
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

free in British

(friː )
adjectiveWord forms: freer or freest
1. 
able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint
2. 
a. 
having personal rights or liberty; not enslaved or confined
b. 
(as noun)
land of the free
3. (often postpositive; and foll by from)
not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempt
a free market
free from pain
4. 
(of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
5. 
exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or induced
free will
6. 
not subject to conventional constraints
free verse
7. 
(of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis
8. 
not exact or literal
a free translation
9. 
costing nothing; provided without charge
free entertainment
10. law (of property)
a. 
not subject to payment of rent or performance of services; freehold
b. 
not subject to any burden or charge, such as a mortgage or lien; unencumbered
11. (postpositive; often foll by of or with)
ready or generous in using or giving; liberal; lavish
free with advice
12. 
unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious
13. 
not occupied or in use; available
a free cubicle
14. 
not occupied or busy; without previous engagements
I'm not free until Wednesday
15. 
open or available to all; public
16. 
without charge to the subscriber or user
freepost
freephone
17. 
not fixed or joined; loose
the free end of a chain
18. 
without obstruction or impediment
free passage
19. chemistry
chemically uncombined
free nitrogen
20. phonetics
denoting a vowel that can occur in an open syllable, such as the vowel in see as opposed to the vowel in cat
21. grammar
denoting a morpheme that can occur as a separate word
Compare bound1 (sense 8a)
22. logic
denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifier
Compare bound1 (sense 9)
23. 
(of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
24. nautical
(of the wind) blowing from the quarter
25.  feel free
26.  for free
27.  free and easy
28.  make free with
adverb
29. 
in a free manner; freely
30. 
without charge or cost
31. nautical
with the wind blowing from the quarter
a yacht sailing free
verbWord forms: frees, freeing or freed (transitive)
32. (sometimes foll by up)
to set at liberty; release
33. 
to remove obstructions, attachments, or impediments from; disengage
34. (often foll by of or from)
to relieve or rid (of obstacles, pain, etc)
noun
35. informal
a freesheet
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
freely (ˈfreely)
adverb
freeness (ˈfreeness)
noun
freer (ˈfreer)
noun
Word origin of 'free'
Old English frēo; related to Old Saxon, Old High German frī, Gothic freis free, Sanskrit priya dear
Word Frequency

free in American

(fri ; frē)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈfreer or ˈfreest
1. 
a. 
not under the control of some other person or some arbitrary power; able to act or think without compulsion or arbitrary restriction; having liberty; independent
b. 
characterized by or resulting from liberty
2. 
a. 
having, or existing under, a government that does not impose arbitrary restrictions on the right to speak, assemble, petition, vote, etc.; having civil and political liberty
a free people
b. 
not under control of a foreign government
3. 
able to move in any direction; not held, as in chains, etc.; not kept from motion; loose
4. 
not held or confined by a court, the police, etc.; acquitted
5. 
not held or burdened by obligations, debts, discomforts, etc.; unhindered; unhampered
free from pain
6. 
at liberty; allowed
free to leave at any time
7. 
not confined to the usual rules or patterns; not limited by convention or tradition
free verse
8. 
not literal; not exact
a free translation
9. 
not held or confined by prejudice or bias
10. 
not restricted by anything except its own limitations or nature
free will
11. 
not busy or not in use; available for other work, use, etc.
12. 
readily done or made; spontaneous
a free offer
13. 
not constrained or stilted; easy and graceful
a free gait
14. 
a. 
generous; liberal; lavish
a free spender
b. 
profuse; copious
15. 
frank; straightforward
16. 
too frank or familiar in speech, action, etc.; forward; indecorous
17. 
with no charge or cost; gratis
a free ticket
18. 
not liable to (trade restrictions, etc.); exempt from certain impositions, as taxes or duties
19. 
clear of obstructions; open and unimpeded
a free road ahead
20. 
open to all; esp., without restrictions as to trade
a free market, free port
21. 
not in contact or connection; not fastened
the free end of a rope
22. 
not united; not combined
free oxygen
23. 
not opposed; favorable
said of a wind blowing from a direction more than six points from straight ahead
24.  Games
additional; extra
a free turn
25.  Jazz
designating or of improvisation unrestricted by set harmonic structure, rhythmic patterns, tempo, etc.
26.  Linguistics
designating a minimum form, or morpheme, that may occur alone as an independent word
in “boys,” boy is a free form, but -s is not
see also bound2 (sense 9)
adverbWord forms: ˈfreer or ˈfreest
27. 
without cost or payment
28. 
in a free manner; without obstruction, burden, obligation, etc.
29.  Nautical
with a favorable wind
verb transitiveWord forms: freed or ˈfreeing
30. 
to make free
; specif.,
a. 
to release from bondage or arbitrary power, authority, obligation, etc.
b. 
to clear of obstruction, entanglement, etc.; disengage
Idioms:
for free
free and easy
free from
free up
give (or have) a free hand
make free with
set free
with a free hand
SYNONYMY NOTE: free is the general term meaning to set loose from any sort of restraint, entanglement, burden, etc. [to free a convict, one's conscience, etc.]; release, more or less interchangeable with , free, stresses a setting loose from confinement, literally or figuratively [release me from my promise]; liberate emphasizes the state of liberty into which the freed person or thing is brought [to liberate prisoners of war]; emancipate refers to a freeing from the bondage of slavery or of social institutions or conventions regarded as equivalent to slavery [emancipated from medieval superstition]; discharge, in this connection, implies a being permitted to leave that which confines or restrains [discharged at last from the army]
OPPOSITES:  restrain, bind, confine
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
freely (ˈfreely)
adverb
freeness (ˈfreeness)
noun
Word origin of 'free'
ME fre < OE freo, not in bondage, noble, glad, illustrious, akin to Ger frei, Du vrij < IE base *prei-, to be fond of, hold dear > friend, Sans priyá-, dear, desired

Example sentences containing 'free'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Your creative side is ready to be set free. The Sun (2017)We have too many people getting a free ride. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Download one of the free fitness apps to help monitor your activity. The Sun (2017)My father was free to do something. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The defender joined on a free transfer in the summer and played four times. Times, Sunday Times (2017)Free credit card charges applies to deposit only. The Sun (2016)There have to be limits to free speech. Times, Sunday Times (2017)To receive 30 per cent off plus free p&p visit harpercollins. Times, Sunday Times (2016)If you are there on the first Friday of the month you can take in a free festival with live painting, food and music. The Sun (2016)We are set free to love those who oppose us and to listen to their stories. Christianity Today (2000)Yet that trade has to be both free and fair. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Why should positive people have a free pass? Times, Sunday Times (2006)One is tempted to say that there is something like free association going on here. The Times Literary Supplement (2010)You can print out deals or the site has a free app for use on the move. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Now he has to restore the winning habit to a squad of free transfers and loan signings. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Such services might be provided free of charge but paid for out of taxation. Chambers, Ian Business Studies Basic Facts (1990)Why does she have any less a right to free speech than the rest of the country? Times, Sunday Times (2011)Our economic platform is based on the twin pillars of a free economy and social justice. Times, Sunday Times (2012)It is now making the data available to other governments free of charge. Times, Sunday Times (2008)We also offer a free telephone advice line to our members. Times, Sunday Times (2007)They still roam as free as the wind. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVEWe wanted to see how much she could get for free in one day. The Sun (2008)These free schools are already outperforming other schools. The Sun (2015)We want to ensure that we remain a free and prosperous land of opportunity. Times, Sunday Times (2012)It was hardly an act of free will. Times, Sunday Times (2006)You can plan your home life to free time for your own projects. The Sun (2014)Pop along to one of the free screenings at the independent festival in London. Times, Sunday Times (2012)This is free and available if you have already followed your insurer's process and got nowhere. The Sun (2016)That means he will become a free agent in November. The Sun (2011)The pair, freed in an amnesty. The Sun (2013)

Quotations

Free at last, Free at last
Thank God Almighty
I'm Free at last
Martin Luther King Jr. Spiritual, quoted on his tomb
The free way of life proposes ends, but it does not prescribe meansRobert F. Kennedy The Pursuit of Justice
I am condemned to be freeJean-Paul Sartre L'Être et le néant
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not free either. They keep returning to the same thingsAlexander Solzhenitsyn One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
The best things in life are free
There's no such thing as a free lunch

Word Lists

Law terms

Trends of 'free'

Extremely Common. free is one of the 1000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Nearby words of 'free'

  • Frederiksberg
  • Frederiksburg
  • Fredrikstad
  • free
  • -free
  • free advice
  • free agent

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'F'

Related Terms of 'free'

  • -free
  • free up
  • GM-free
  • born-free
  • duty-free

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of free from the Collins English Dictionary

The exclamation mark ( ! )

The exclamation mark is used after exclamations and emphatic expressions. I can’t believe it ! Oh, no! Look at this mess ! The exclamation mark loses its effect if it is overused. It is better to...
Read more about 'The exclamation mark ( ! )'
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Scrabble score for 'free': 7
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