Definition of 'free'
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.
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.
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]
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun, verb-link ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE after verb]
6. verb
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.
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.
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]
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]
17.
18.
19.
Phrasal verbs:
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
adjectiveWord forms: freer or freest
1.
able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint
3. (often postpositive; and foll by from)
a free market
free from pain
4.
(of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
10. law (of property)
b.
11. (postpositive; often foll by of or with)
free with advice
12.
13.
not occupied or in use; available
a free cubicle
15.
open or available to all; public
17.
not fixed or joined; loose
the free end of a chain
20. phonetics
23.
(of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
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
noun
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
adverb
freeness (ˈfreeness)
noun
freer (ˈfreer)
noun
Word origin of 'free'
adjectiveWord forms: ˈfreer or ˈfreest
1.
a.
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
8.
not literal; not exact
a free translation
11.
not busy or not in use; available for other work, use, etc.
15.
16.
too frank or familiar in speech, action, etc.; forward; indecorous
18.
not liable to (trade restrictions, etc.); exempt from certain impositions, as taxes or duties
20.
open to all; esp., without restrictions as to trade
a free market, free port
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 ahead25. Jazz
designating or of improvisation unrestricted by set harmonic structure, rhythmic patterns, tempo, etc.
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:
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
adverb
freeness (ˈfreeness)
noun
Word origin of 'free'
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. 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. 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
I am condemned to be free L'Être et le néant
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not free either. They keep returning to the same
things 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
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'
Source
Definition of free from the
Collins English Dictionary
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Unlock language with the Paul Noble method
No books. No rote memorization. No chance of failure. Your chance to have a one-to-one lesson with best-selling language expert Paul Noble, try a FREE audio sample of his brand new Mandarin Chinese course.
Read more
13th edition of the Collins Dictionary out now!
Updated with all the very latest new words and senses, this new 13th edition is an unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers, and word geeks everywhere.
#homeoflivingenglish
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Rainbow Tree, Asymmetric Wreath, and Period Poverty: November’s Words in the News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this November with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more