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free

adj. · v. · adv. · n.
US //ˈfɹi// UK //fɹˈiː// free
  1. 1 no cost (adj.)
    A1 Beginner

    costing nothing; you do not have to pay money for it.

    obtainable without any payment or financial consideration.

    Example

    The museum is free for students on Tuesday afternoons.

    Example

    The software is available as a free download, though users must pay a subscription fee to access the premium cloud-storage features.
    Pitfall
    The concert is for free.
    The concert is free.

    While 'for free' is common in informal speech, 'free' is the standard adjective. Avoid 'for' when using it as a subject complement.

  2. 2 not busy (adj.)
    A1 Beginner

    not busy or not being used by someone else.

    not occupied by previous engagements or currently available for use.

    Example

    Are you free for a quick coffee after work today?

    Example

    If the conference room is free at three o'clock, we should hold the briefing there to ensure everyone has enough space.
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  1. 3 independent (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    not controlled by a government or another person; having the power to do what you want.

    enjoying personal liberty; not subject to the control or domination of another.

    Example

    After years of rules, she finally felt free to live her own life.

    Example

    The citizens fought for decades to establish a free and independent press that could hold the government accountable without fear of reprisal.
  2. 4 without something (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    not containing something, especially something bad or unwanted.

    devoid of a specified substance or quality; often used in compound adjectives.

    Example

    This bread is gluten-free and safe for people with allergies.

    Example

    The architect designed a barrier-free environment to ensure that the entire campus remained accessible to students with limited mobility.

    Usage

    Often follows the noun it describes, connected by a hyphen, as in 'sugar-free'.
  3. 5 to release (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to let someone or something out of a place where they were kept.

    to release from captivity, confinement, or a difficult physical position.

    Example

    They worked together to free the deer that was stuck in the fence.

    Example

    The rescue team managed to free the trapped hikers just as the storm began to intensify, preventing a much more serious medical emergency.

    Usage

    Takes a direct object; often used with 'from'.
  4. 6 computing (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to give back memory or space to a computer system so it can be used again.

    to deallocate or relinquish previously assigned memory or resources back to the operating system.

    Example

    You need to free up some space on your hard drive before installing the update.

    Example

    The application failed to free the allocated memory upon closing, leading to a significant system slowdown over several hours of use.
  5. 7 without paying (adv.)
    B1 Intermediate

    without having to pay any money.

    without charge or cost; used adverbially.

    Example

    Children under the age of five can travel free on all city buses.

    Example

    The promotional offer allows new subscribers to stream the first three episodes free before committing to a monthly plan.

    Usage

    Usually placed at the end of a clause.
  6. 8 sport (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Sport

    a chance to kick or throw the ball without the other team stopping you, usually after a foul.

    a free kick or free throw awarded to a team following an infringement by the opposition.

    Example

    The referee gave us a free right outside the penalty area.

    Example

    The captain stepped up to take the free, curling the ball expertly around the defensive wall and into the top corner of the net.

    Teacher's tip

    Commonly used in sports like football (soccer) or Australian rules football.
Etymology 1

From Middle English free, fre, freo, from Old English frēo (“free”), from Proto-West Germanic frī, from Proto-Germanic frijaz (“beloved, not in bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European priHós (“pleased, loved”), from preyH- (“to please, love”). Related to friend. cognates, etc Germanic cognates include Scots fre (“free”), North Frisian frai, frei, fri, Frii (“free”), Saterland Frisian fräi (“free”), West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), German frei (“free”), Low German free (“free”), Luxembourgish fräi (“free”), Vilamovian frȧj (“free”), Yiddish פֿרײַ (fray, “free”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish fri (“free”), Faroese fríur (“free”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis, “free”). Other cognates include Sanskrit प्रिय (priyá-, “beloved”). Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European language branches in which the PIE word with the meaning of "dear, beloved" acquired the additional meaning of "free" in the sense of "not in bondage". This was an extension of the idea of "characteristic of those who are dear and beloved", in other words friends and tribe members (in contrast to unfree inhabitants from other tribes and prisoners of war, many of which were among the slaves – compare the Latin use of liberi to mean both "free persons" and "children of a family").

Etymology 2

From Middle English freen, freoȝen, from Old English frēon, frēoġan (“to free; make free”), from Proto-West Germanic frijōn, from Proto-Germanic frijōną, from Proto-Indo-European *preyH-, and is cognate with German freien, Dutch vrijen, Czech přát, Serbo-Croatian prijati, Polish sprzyjać.

Word family
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