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0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">

Meaning of free in English

free
adjective, adverb
uk
/friː/ us
/friː/

free adjective, adverb (NOT LIMITED)

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B2
not limited or controlled:
free to I'll give you a key, so you'll be free to come and go as you like.
Am I free (= do I have permission) to leave now?
free access The agreement gives companies free access to the markets of member countries.
See also
feel free
free and easy
relaxed and informal:
The atmosphere in the office is fairly free and easy.
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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Freedom to act
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free adjective, adverb (NO CHARGE)

A2
costing nothing, or not needing to be paid for:
I got some free cinema tickets.
Members all receive a free copy of the monthly newsletter.
The elderly travel free on public transport.
for free You can download the app for free.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
get something for free
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Costing little or no money
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free adjective, adverb (NOT IN PRISON)

B2
not a prisoner any longer, or having unlimited movement:
She left the court a free woman after the case against her collapsed because of a legal technicality.
set someone free The new government has decided to set all political prisoners free.
go free She went free after the charges against her were dropped.
I let the dogs run free in the park.
See also
walk free
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Freedom to act
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free adjective, adverb (LOOSE)

not in a fixed position or not joined to anything:
free of Both bookcases stand free of the wall.
The bolts have worked themselves free because of the vibrations.
free from Rescuers took several hours to cut the survivors free from the wreckage.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Separateness and isolation in space
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Idiom

free and clear
free
adjective
uk
/friː/ us
/friː/

free adjective (NOT BUSY)

A2
not doing anything planned or important, or available to be used:
free time I do a lot of reading in my free time.
free to She's in a meeting at the moment, but she should be free to see you in ten minutes.
I'm working in the café all this week, but I've got a free evening next Monday.
Excuse me, is this seat free (= is anyone intending to sit in this seat)?
We queued for half an hour waiting for a free space in the car park.
If you take these bags, that will give me a free hand to open the door.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Available and accessible
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free adjective (WITHOUT)

C1 [ after verb ]
not having something that is unwanted or unpleasant:
free from The organization is a charitable enterprise, so it is free from tax worldwide.
Ensure the wound is free from dirt before applying the bandage.
free of She'll never be completely free of the disease.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Lacking things
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free adjective (GIVING/USING OFTEN)

free with
giving or using often or in large amounts:
He's rather free with his wife's money.
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make free with UK disapproving
to use something that belongs to someone else a lot:
Don't her parents mind her making free with their house while they're on holiday?
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free adjective (CHEMICAL)

chemistry   specialized
If an element is free, it is not combined with anything else or attached to anything else:
free oxygen/nitrogen
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Chemical elements
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Idioms

a free ride
there's no such thing as a free lunch
free
verb
uk
/friː/ us
/friː/

free verb (NOT IN PRISON)

B2 [ T ]
to allow someone to leave a prison or place where they have been kept:
After a ten-hour siege the gunman agreed to free the hostages.
free someone/something from something Anti-vivisectionists last night freed a number of animals from a laboratory.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Liberating, relaxing and releasing
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free verb (MAKE LOOSE)

[ T ]
to move or make loose someone or something that is caught or held somewhere:
Both men were freed from the wreckage after a four-hour operation.
In vain he tried to free the rope around his hands.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Liberating, relaxing and releasing
See more results »

free verb (REMOVE LIMITS)

[ T + obj + to infinitive ]
to remove the limits or controls on someone or something:
free someone to do something Her retirement from politics will free her (= provide her with enough time) to write her memoirs.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Liberating, relaxing and releasing
See more results »

free verb (MAKE AVAILABLE)

[ T ]
to make something available for someone to use:
They planned to extend the car park, freeing existing parking spaces for visitors.
free something up Can you cancel my meetings? I need to free up the afternoon to write this report.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Available and accessible
See more results »

Phrasal verb

free someone from/of something
-free
suffix
uk
/ -friː/ us
/ -friː/

-free suffix (NO CHARGE)

used at the end of words to mean "without having to pay":
They agreed to let us live there rent-free.
Many banks are now offering interest-free overdrafts to students.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Costing little or no money
See more results »

-free suffix (WITHOUT)

used at the end of words to mean "without":
lead-free fuel
No working environment is entirely stress-free.
The journey was surprisingly hassle-free.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Lacking things
See more results »
(Definition of free from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

free | American Dictionary

free
adjective, adverb
us
/fri/

free adjective, adverb (NOT LIMITED)

Add to word list Add to word list
[ -er/-est only ]
not limited or controlled:
[ + to infinitive ] You are free to come and go as you please.
[ + to infinitive ] Please feel free to ask questions.
Free elections will be held in two months.

free adjective, adverb (NOT IN PRISON)

not or no longer a prisoner or an enslaved person:
She left the court a free woman.
In the 1700s, Mamaroneck was home to a free black community.

free adjective, adverb (NO CHARGE)

[ not gradable ]
costing nothing; not needing to be paid for:
When you buy a dinner for over $10, you get a soda free.
We will install your washing machine free of charge (= without cost).

free adjective, adverb (NOT HELD)

[ -er/-est only ]
not held in a fixed position or not joined to anything:
He grabbed the free end of the rope.
Mechanics checked the plane to see if any of the bolts had worked themselves free.

Idioms

free and clear
free lunch
free ride
free
adjective
us
/fri/

free adjective (NOT BUSY)

[ not gradable ]
not doing anything planned or important, or not being used:
We have plans for Friday night but we’re free the rest of the weekend.
I do a lot of reading in my free time.

free adjective (WITHOUT)

[ -er/-est only ]
not having something that is unwanted or unpleasant:
After many months of treatment, she was declared free of disease.
free
verb
us
/fri/

free verb (RELEASE FROM PRISON)

[ T ]
to allow someone to leave a prison or place where they have been kept:
The hostages were all freed.

free verb (RELEASE FROM LIMITS)

[ T ]
to release someone or something from limits or controls:
[ + to infinitive ] The inheritance freed him to travel.

free verb (RELEASE FROM DUTY)

[ T always + adv/prep ]
to release someone from something that is unwanted or unpleasant:
He longed to be freed of all his obligations.

free verb (MAKE LOOSE)

[ T ]
to release someone or something that is physically held or trapped:
They worked to free the man trapped in the wreckage of his car.

Phrasal verb

free up something
-free
suffix
us
/fri/
without:
tax-free
toll-free
The superintendent lives here rent-free.
(Definition of free from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

free | Business English

free
adjective
uk
/friː/ us
Add to word list Add to word list
costing nothing:
They received two free return air-tickets every year.
Tomorrow, shoppers will receive free samples of the store's famous chocolate chip cookies.
free to/for sb The Bank's 3,030 ATMs would continue to be free to everyone.
not limited or controlled:
We know that freedom and opportunity can truly thrive in a free society that is also a responsible society.
The website spokesperson said that its opinions are protected as free speech.
be free to do sth Members of the public buying direct from an insurer are free to inquire about its security rating.
something that is free is available to be used because no one else is using it:
Is this desk free?
not in a fixed position or not joined to anything:
free to do sth With the autocue, your hands and head are free to communicate body language more powerfully.
not doing anything planned or important:
free to do sth Are you free to attend tomorrow's board meeting?
not having something that is unwanted:
free from sth Members must be free from politics and outside influences when making decisions.
free of sth They proved through testing that their products were free of contamination.
there's no such thing as a free lunch
used to say that nothing is free even if it appears to be, for example, if someone gives you something they probably want something back from you in return

See also

free ride noun
free
adverb
uk
/friː/ us
without having to pay for something:
They are then given a business account free of charge by the bank.
You can access the online database for free.
free
verb [ T ]
uk
/friː/ us
to make something available for someone to use:
free (up) sth The chairman has promised tough action to cut costs and free up funds to grow core businesses.
to remove the limits or controls on someone or something:
free sth from sth The basic aim is to free the housing market from council control.
-free
suffix
(also free)
used at the end of words to mean 'without':
It is supposed to be virtually pollution-free and produce both electricity and hydrogen.
The returns are not risk-free.
tax-/interest-/duty-free Your husband could put the money in a tax-free cash ISA.
(Definition of free from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of free

free
Indeed, like many newly freed people, they considered parties almost illegitimate threats to national unity.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In this situation, it frees writers from the effort of investigating their themes and encourages them to rely on a ready-made solution.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The sculptor's thought is freed to be completely three-dimensional.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
They take the postmodernist achievement to be one which conveniently frees theological conservatism from the uncomfortable pressures of secular, rationalist criticism.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
They would often be put in the stocks until they sobered up, but they would invariably lapse again as soon as they were freed.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Though advertising revenue freed the press from direct political control, it introduced its own form of constraints on an expanding press in the 20th century.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The healing process involves correcting imbalances and freeing blockages, thus restoring a proper energy flow through the body.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
If a whole industry is swept aside because of failing entrepreneurship, resources would be freed for other, expanding sectors.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The divine was consequently freed from any responsibility for such prodigies.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
If the sustainable catch is fixed, improved technical efficiency is a benefit only if resources are freed from the catching sector for productive use elsewhere.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
On the other hand, some leaders of the scientific community supported freer scientific research on human embryos.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The patient is simply freed from being held prisoner by the current state of the art of medical technology.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Giving internalization a superior status might have freed it from many old debates.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The exception are aristocrats, who are served by a sufficient number of other people to be freed of this daily burden.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The alternative, they argue, is to let the great mass of people engage in market processes, freeing themselves from such dependency.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
See all examples of free
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of free, -free?
 

Translations of free

in Chinese (Traditional)
不受限制, 自由的, 無拘束的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
不受限制, 自由的, 无拘束的…
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in Spanish
libre, gratis, en libertad…
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in Portuguese
livre, grátis, gratuito…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
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in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
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in Danish
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in Malay
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in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Russian
in Telugu
in Arabic
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
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in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
मोकळा, मोकळी, मोकळेपणाने…
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無料の, 暇な, 自由な…
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serbest, bağımsız, ücretsiz…
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gratuit/-uite, libre, disponible…
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gratuït, lliure, en llibertat…
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vrij, royaal, ongedwongen…
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மட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்ட அல்லது கட்டுப்படுத்தப்படவில்லை, எதுவும் செலவழிக்காமல், அல்லது பணம் செலுத்த வேண்டிய அவசியமில்லை…
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स्वतंत्र, मुक्त, मुफ्त…
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સ્વતંત્ર, મુક્ત, મફત…
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fri, gavmild, ligetil…
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fri, frikostig, frispråkig…
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bebas, dermawan, terbuka…
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frei, freigiebig, kostenlos…
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gratis, fri, ledig…
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آزادانہ, مفت, بلا ادائیگی…
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вільний, щедрий, невимушений…
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свободный, бесплатный, находящийся на свободе…
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స్వేచ్చగా వుండే/పరిమితం కాని లేదా నియంత్రించబడని, స్వేచ్చాయుత/ ఇకముందు ఖైదీ కాదు, లేదా అపరిమిత కదలికలు ఉంటాయి.…
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مَجّاني, حُرّ (غَيْر مَشْغول), حُرّ…
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অবাধে, বিনামূল্যে, নিখরচা…
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volný, svobodný, štědrý…
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bebas, dermawan, terbuka…
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ซึ่งเป็นอิสระ, ไม่มีการบังคับ, ใจดี…
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tự do, suồng sã, thoải mái…
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wolny, bezpłatny, bezpłatnie…
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무료의, 한가한, 자유로운…
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gratis, gratuito, libero…
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freckle-faced
freckled
Freddie Mac
Fredericton
free
free access
free agency
free agent
free alongside ship

Word of the Day

pink noise

UK
/ˌpɪŋk ˈnɔɪz/
US
/ˌpɪŋk ˈnɔɪz/

a mixture of sounds or electrical signals that has a lot of low-frequency sounds, producing a deep sound

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