From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfreefree1 /friː/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 FREE/COST NOTHINGno cost something that is free does not cost you any money Admission is free for children under 9. All students are offered free accommodation. Send for our free information pack for more details. There’s a special free gift with this month’s magazine.2 FREE/COST NOTHINGnot a prisoner not held, tied up, or kept somewhere as a prisoner He knew he could be free in as little as three years. With one leap he was free! He walked out of the courtroom a free man. They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free. He was found not guilty and walked free from the court. The animals are allowed to run free in the park. Hundreds of dogs roam free on the streets.break/pull/struggle free She broke free from her attacker.3 FREE TO DO WHAT YOU WANTnot controlled allowed to do or say whatever you want, or allowed to happen, without being controlled or restricted by anyone or anything We had a free and open discussion about religion.free to do something Remember, you are free to say no.free from Newspapers today are entirely free from government control. Women are struggling to break free from tradition.free of I longed to be free of my family. He became president following the country’s first free elections last year. We would all support the principle of free speech. For the first time in its history, the country has a free press. Patients are now allowed free access to their medical records. The legislation will allow the free movement of goods through all the countries in Europe.4 AVAILABLEnot busy if you are free, or have some free time, you have no work, and nothing else that you must do → available I’m free next weekend.free for Are you free for lunch tomorrow?free to do something At last I was free to concentrate on my own research.a free day/morning/half-hour etc I haven’t got a free day this week. Children these days have very little free time.5 AVAILABLEnot being used something that is free is available to use because it is not already being used Is this seat free? I’m afraid we don’t have any free tables this evening. He used his free hand to open the door.► see thesaurus at empty 6 NOT HAVEnot suffering not suffering from somethingfree of At last she was free of pain.free from A lot of the patients are now free from symptoms.pain-free/trouble-free etc a stress-free life7 not containing something not containing somethingfree from/of All our drinks are free from artificial colourings.fat-free/dairy-free etc a fat-free yoghurt8 tax if something is free of tax, you do not have to pay tax on itfree of This income should be free of tax.tax-free/duty-free etc tax-free earnings an opportunity to buy duty-free goods9 → feel free10 → free and easy11 → free spirit12 → give somebody a free hand/rein13 → there’s no free lunch14 → it’s a free country15 → get/take a free ride16 → be free with something17 → make free with something18 GRACEFULnot restricted something that is free is not held, blocked, or restricted We opened both doors to allow a free flow of air through the building.19 chemicals technicalHCE a free chemical substance is not combined with any other substance the amount of free oxygen in the atmosphereTHESAURUSfree something that is free does not cost you any moneyParking is free after 6 pm.‘How much is it to get into the concert?’ ‘Oh, I think it’s free.’They were giving away free tickets for the concert.I’m saving these tokens to get a free poster.for nothing/for free without having to pay for something that you would normally have to pay forHe offered to fix the car for nothing.Fans were allowed into the stadium for nothing as a way of celebrating.Children under five can see the show for free.at no extra cost if a shop or company provides an additional service at no extra cost, they do it without asking you for any more moneyThe shop will install the cooker for you at no extra cost.Tours of the city are available from the hotel at no extra cost.complimentary [only before noun] free – use this about things that a company, theatre, hotel etc gives peopleKaren’s sister works at the New York Ballet and she’s managed to get us some complimentary tickets.Honeymooners receive a complimentary bottle of champagne in their hotel room.be on the house if food or drinks are on the house, the owner of a bar or restaurant says you do not have to pay for themThese drinks are on the house.gratis especially written without having to pay for somethingUsers will be able to listen to tracks (=songs)gratis.
Examples from the Corpus
free• "How much is it to get into the concert?" "Oh, I think it's free."• Excuse me, is this seat free?• Is this chair free?• Maybe Bobby and I could have lunch again if he was free.• The room was warmer, quieter and draught free.• The clinic offers free advice on contraception.• Parking is free after 6 pm.• He was free again, after 10 long years in jail.• I had just left home, and was enjoying the feeling of being free and independent at last.• A free bus service will be provided from the parking lot at the train station.• Bulgaria's first free elections were held in 1990.• Send for free Endangered Desserts of the World poster!• a free exchange of information• Floyd investigated it soon after free fall had begun.• A member is entitled to a judgment that is free from any extraneous or ulterior motive.• I'll be free in about five minutes. Can you wait?• Are you free next weekend?• But they would've given up their vocation just to be free of you.• I'm free on Wednesday evening, if you want to go out to dinner then.• free oxygen• I'm saving these tokens to get a free poster.• Activists were calling for a free press and political reforms.• Many of you know that free range chickens are a very important part of Crediton.• Sometimes you realize how lucky you are to live in a free society.• In the class-action lawsuit unveiled Tuesday, doctors said such punishment would be a violation of their free speech rights.• All Americans have the right of free speech.• During "Golden Time", the pupils are free to choose the activity they would like to do.• Are you free to talk for a couple of minutes?free gift• Buy three skincare products and you can choose your super free gift.• We came back from the tour round the factory loaded down with free gifts.• Hassall Homes, of Wakefield, Yorkshire, is even offering the normal five percent deposit as a free gift.• Polished performer Making the most of your free gift.• The Karimojong happily accepted these unexpected free gifts but have not been too enthusiastic about development projects introduced after the famine.• Your Free Gift From Cachet. A perfume atomiser with every 50ml Eau de Toilette purchase.• They want photo stories, tales of holiday romances, horoscopes and advice columns as well as free gifts of make-up and jewellery.• And our free gift this month is a recipe leaflet showing you how to create delicious calorie-reduced meals.• Most banks offer students a free gift when they open a new account.• Last year Golf Monthly gave one of these pitch repairers as a free gift which I still use regularly.• There's also a free gift wrapping service on any purchase over £10.a free man• Ahab feels then that he must destroy these evil forces in order to survive as a free man.• Conde is now a free man.• It was argued that only property-owners had the economic independence necessary to be a free man.• Simpson, while his money and some future earnings will go to the plaintiffs, will live as a free man.• So last year, the court threw out the conviction and made Lanier a free man.• Surrounded by enslaved automatons, he was a free man. free to do something• We are not free to deface and destroy the natural world.• The rest of the day is free to do a second job, un-taxed.• She was free to do anything in the world.• There literally is everything under the sun, and you're free to do as much or as little as you want.• In the New World preachers felt free to encroach and poach in search of souls.• He would be free to pursue his own work, but must make himself available to students of composition.• By the age of twenty-four she was free to seek work outside the home, finding temporary positions as amanuensis and governess.• Members are free to work on their own chosen subject if they desire.free to do something• We are not free to deface and destroy the natural world.• The rest of the day is free to do a second job, un-taxed.• She was free to do anything in the world.• There literally is everything under the sun, and you're free to do as much or as little as you want.• In the New World preachers felt free to encroach and poach in search of souls.• He would be free to pursue his own work, but must make himself available to students of composition.• By the age of twenty-four she was free to seek work outside the home, finding temporary positions as amanuensis and governess.• Members are free to work on their own chosen subject if they desire.free hand• He loosened his tie with his free hand.• Knowing your legal rights in advance means you can negotiate with a free hand.• Lucia started backing up her books with a free hand.• The man grabbed the inside handle with his free hand and began to shake the windows.• With his free hand he was softly pushing back her hair, sending goosebumps scattering from Shiona's head to her toes.• They relied on Deaver to do this and gave him a remarkably free hand in arranging the details of their lives.• It turns them on and gives them a free hand to be as obnoxious as they want.• FitzAlan moved a pace to meet them, his free hand unfastening his cloak. free from/of• Builders had put the ramp in free of charge, but the council said it was too steep.• The video will be sent to you free of charge - just return it when you are finished.• Family meals, a compulsory ritual, were not entirely free of hazard.• They also would be freed from most government restraints on what and how much they plant.• Certainly, the free market is not free of problems.• Lifeguards at that time reported that the whale appeared lethargic and did not attempt to swim away once freed from the kelp.• Through their bodies, they became free of them.• The exception are aristocrats, who are served by a sufficient number of other people to be freed of this daily burden.freefree2 ●●● W3 verb (freed, freeing) [transitive] 1 FREE/NOT IN PRISONrelease to allow someone to leave prison or somewhere they have been kept as a prisoner SYN release He expects to be freed quite soon. The terrorists have at last agreed to free the hostages.free somebody from something She was freed from prison last week.2 not control to allow someone to say and do what they want, after controlling or restricting them in the pastfree somebody from/of something The press has now been freed from political control. She longed to be freed of her responsibilities. Art frees the imagination.3 LOOSEallow somebody/something to move to move someone or something so that they are no longer held, fixed, or trapped SYN release He struggled to free himself, but the ropes were too tight. I couldn’t free the safety catch.free somebody/something from something All the victims have now been freed from the wreckage.4 HELPstop somebody suffering to stop someone suffering from something by removing itfree somebody from something new drugs that can free people from pain At last the country has been freed from its enormous debts.5 make available (also free something ↔ up)AVAILABLE to make something available so that it can be used I need to free up some of the disk space on my computer. This should free some money for investment.6 give somebody more time (also free somebody ↔ up) to give someone time to do something by taking away other jobs that they have to dofree somebody (up) to do something Taking away the burden of administration will free teachers to concentrate on teaching. We have freed up some staff to deal with the backlog of work.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
free• Many of these young offenders should have been freed a long time ago.• His supporters are demanding that he be freed from prison.• A strange light frightens her, and she screams to be freed from the room, falling unconscious when escape is denied.• Susan managed to free her right hand from her attacker with a violent twisting movement.• Kirk battled for eight hours to free himself from the wreckage.• He joined the resistance movement in order to free his country from the enemy.• The dolphins will be freed into the ocean once their injuries have healed.• The horse's eyes were filled with terror as it struggled to free itself from the deep, sucking mud.• Try freeing some memory by shutting down a few applications.• We're going to need some rope to help free the girl.• The kidnappers freed the last two hostages unharmed.• The allies arrived in Brussels on September 3rd and Antwerp was freed the next day.• She and her fellow students were told that their mission was to free the peasants from feudalism.• After being freed Tuesday, the whale swam toward the ocean.• Working from home will free up more time to spend with your family.free somebody from something• Treatment has freed Jenna from her drug addiction, allowing her to live a productive life.free somebody (up) to do something• It may be possible as a result of the pre-test to change certain questions from free response to a more structured format.• Funerals were free and open to all.• A free bus service to and from the venue is available from Belfast.• Refereee Kevin Breen ordered a Chester free kick to be retaken after 35 minutes when Coughlin failed to retreat 10 yards.• Money is available for new players and he has a free hand to change the backroom staff.• It meant the pound was set free to float to find its own value in world markets.• Moreover, the child is left free to listen to these songs when he likes.• Teachers are encouraged to make a free pre-visit to prepare for their visit. freefree3 ●●● S3 adverb 1 FREE/COST NOTHINGwithout payment Children under four can travel free. You can get advice free from your local library.for free He offered to do the work for free. All these services are available to the public free of charge.2 LOOSEnot fixed or held in a particular place or position The ropes were now hanging free. A gold chain swung free around his neck. → freely, scot-freeExamples from the Corpus
free• Why was this guy walking around free?• They will provide credit reports free to consumers once a year.for free• Gary told me he could do the ad for free.freefree4 noun [countable] British English informal a free transfer; the process by which a player moves from one football club to another, but the new club does not pay any money for him We got Kevin on a free from Manchester United.-free-free /friː/ suffix [in adjectives and adverbs] NOT HAVEwithout something that you do not want a trouble-free journey duty-free cigarettes a salt-free diet They live in the house rent-free.Examples from the Corpus
-free• a smoke-free restaurant• a trouble-free tripFrom Longman Business Dictionary-free-free /friː/ suffix without something, often something that you do not wantEarnings will be tax-free if the money remains on deposit for seven years.Heathrow Airport gets more money from duty-free sales than from landing fees.The casino will generate $10 million a year in risk-free income for the consortium.freefree1 /friː/ adjective1costing nothingFirst-class passengers will have four films to choose from, all of them free.Like pizza, Chinese food is more expensive than hamburgers and can bear the cost of free delivery.In order to attract new members, the gym decided to offer a week’s free trial.2no free lunch/no such thing as a free lunch used to say that something may seem to be free, but that in fact somebody must pay for itThe economic principle of ‘no free lunch’ applies — people get the services they pay for.There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you receive ‘free’ shares, you’re bound to pay for them in other ways.3free of/from something without something, usually something that you do not wantThe economy remains slow but relatively free of inflation.The interest on savings bonds is free from state and local tax.Personal Equity Plans, which have a £6,000 investment limit each financial year, arefree of income tax and capital gains tax.4not restricted, limited, or controlledPrivatization is important, but the main condition for a market economy is free prices.free toThe company is free to impose whatever work rules and pay it chooses.freefree2 verb [transitive]1to remove laws, rules etcfree fromMore prices, including that of milk, will be freed from state control.2 (also free up)COMMERCE to make something available so that it can be usedFord said the sale of its heavy truck unit will free resources to concentrate on its light and medium truck business.The government have freed up several million dollars of federal money that was reserved for development but never spent.→ See Verb tablefreefree3 adverb without paymentSenior citizens can travel free at off-peak times.This service is available to the public free of charge.The downloads are available for free from their website. 