adj.
Pronunciation: ' fr ē
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: fre · er ; fre · est
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fr ē o; akin to Old High German fr ī free, W rhydd, Sanskrit priya own, dear
Date: before 12th century
1 a : having the legal and political rights of a citizen b : enjoying civil and political liberty < free citizens> c : enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another
2 a : not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself b : determined by the choice of the actor or performer < free actions> c : made, done, or given voluntarily or spontaneously
3 a : relieved from or lacking something and especially something unpleasant or burdensome < free from pain> <a speech free of political rhetoric> ― often used in combination <error -free > b : not bound, confined, or detained by force
4 a : having no trade restrictions b : not subject to government regulation c of foreign exchange : not subject to restriction or official control
5 a : having no obligations (as to work) or commitments <I'll be free this evening> b : not taken up with commitments or obligations <a free evening>
6 : having a scope not restricted by qualification <a free variable>
7 a : not obstructed, restricted, or impeded < free to leave> b : not being used or occupied <waved with his free hand> c : not hampered or restricted in its normal operation
8 a : not fastened <the free end of the rope> b : not confined to a particular position or place <in twelve-tone music, no note is wholly free for it must hold its place in the series ― J. L. Stewart> c : capable of moving or turning in any direction <a free particle> d : performed without apparatus < free tumbling> e : done with artificial aids (as pitons) used only for protection against falling and not for support <a free climb>
9 a : not parsimonious < free spending> b : OUTSPOKEN c : availing oneself of something without stint d : FRANK , OPEN e : overly familiar or forward in action or attitude f : LICENTIOUS
10 : not costing or charging anything
11 a (1) : not united with, attached to, combined with, or mixed with something else : SEPARATE < free ores> <a free surface of a bodily part> (2) : FREESTANDING <a free column> b : chemically uncombined < free oxygen> < free acids> c : not permanently attached but able to move about <a free electron in a metal> d : capable of being used alone as a meaningful linguistic form <the word hats is a free form> ― compare 5 BOUND 7
12 a : not literal or exact < free translation> b : not restricted by or conforming to conventional forms < free skating>
13 : FAVORABLE ― used of a wind blowing from a direction more than six points from dead ahead
14 : not allowing slavery
15 : open to all comers
– free · ness \ -n ə s \ noun
– for free : without charge
synonyms FREE , INDEPENDENT , SOVEREIGN , AUTONOMOUS mean not subject to the rule or control of another. FREE stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions <you're free to do as you like>. INDEPENDENT implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies <the colony's struggle to become independent >. SOVEREIGN stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a thing's own domain or sphere <separate and sovereign armed services>. AUTONOMOUS stresses independence in matters pertaining to self-government <in this denomination each congregation is regarded as autonomous >.