[free] adj fre.er ; fre.est [ME, fr. OE freo; akin to OHG fri free, W rhydd, Skt priya own, dear] (bef. 12c) 1 a: having the legal and political rights of a citizen b: enjoying civil and political liberty "~ 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 "~ actions" c: made, done, or given voluntarily or spontaneously 3 a: relieved from or lacking something unpleasant or burdensome "~ from pain" "a speech ~ of political rhetoric" 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 ~ this evening" b: not taken up with commitments or obligations "a ~ evening"
6: having a scope not restricted by qualification "a ~ variable"
7. a (1): not obstructed or impeded: clear (2): not being used or occupied "waved with his ~ hand" b: not hampered or restricted in its normal operation
8. a: not fastened "the ~ end of the rope" b: not confined to a particular position or place; also: not having a specific opponent to cover in football "a ~ safety" c: capable of moving or turning in any direction "a ~ particle" d: performed without apparatus "~ tumbling" e: done with artificial aids (as pitons) used only for protection against falling and not for support "a ~ climb"
9. a: not parsimonious "~ 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 "~ ores" "a ~ surface of a bodily part" (2): freestanding "a ~ column" b: chemically uncombined "~ oxygen" "~ acids" c: not permanently attached but able to move about "a ~ electron in a metal" d: capable of being used alone as a meaningful linguistic form "the word hats is a ~ form"--compare [5]bound
7. 12 a: not literal or exact "~ translation" b: not restricted by or conforming to conventional forms "~ skating" 13: favorable--used of a wind blow n -- for free : without charge syn 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".
[2]free vt freed ; free.ing (bef. 12c) 1 a: to cause to be free b: to relieve or rid of what restrains, confines, restricts, or embarrasses "~ a person from debt" c: disentangle, clear
2. obs: banish -- fre.er n syn free, release, liberate, emancipate, manumit mean to set loose from restraint or constraint. free implies a usu. permanent removal from whatever binds, confines, entangles, or oppresses "freed the animals from their cages". release suggests a setting loose from confinement, restraint, or a state of pressure or tension, often without implication of permanent liberation "released his anger on a punching bag". liberate stresses particularly the resulting state of liberty "liberated their country from the tyrant". emancipate implies the liberation of a person from subjection or domination "labor-saving devices emancipated us from household drudgery". manumit implies emancipation from slavery "the document manumitted the slaves". [3]free adv (1559) 1: in a free manner
2: without charge
3: with the wind more than six p oints from dead ahead "sailing ~"