Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Not imprisoned or confined.
- adjective Not controlled by obligation or the will of another.
- adjective Not controlled by another country or political power; independent.
- adjective Governed by consent and possessing or granting civil liberties.
- adjective Not subject to arbitrary interference by a government.
- adjective Not enslaved.
- adjective Not affected or restricted by a given condition or circumstance.
- adjective Not subject to a given condition; exempt.
- adjective Not bound by convention or the rules of form.
- adjective Not literal or exact.
- adjective Costing nothing; gratuitous.
- adjective Publicly supported.
- adjective Unobstructed; clear.
- adjective Not occupied or used.
- adjective Not taken up by scheduled activities.
- adjective Immoderate in giving or spending; liberal or lavish.
- adjective Frank or unguarded in expression or manner; open or outspoken.
- adjective Given, made, or done of one's own accord; voluntary or spontaneous.
- adjective Unconstrained; unconfined.
- adjective Not fixed in position; capable of relatively unrestricted motion.
- adjective Not chemically bound in a molecule.
- adjective Involving no collisions or interactions.
- adjective Empty or unoccupied.
- adjective Nautical Favorable.
- adjective Not bound, fastened, or attached.
- adjective Being a form, especially a morpheme, that can stand as an independent word, such as boat or bring.
- adjective Being a vowel in an open syllable, as the o in go.
- adverb In a free manner; without restraint.
- adverb Without charge.
- transitive verb To make free, as from confinement or oppression.
- transitive verb To relieve of a burden, obligation, or restraint.
- transitive verb To remove obstructions or entanglements from; clear.
- transitive verb To make available.
- noun Freestyle.
- idiom (for free) Without charge.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In a free manner, in any sense of the adjective; freely; with freedom or liberty.
- In horticulture, abundantly blooming or fruiting; also, of profuse and rapid growth.
- To make free; release from restraint or constraint; specifically, to release from bondage or from imprisonment: as, to
free prisoners or slaves. - To rid, as from something obstructive or restrictive; clear; disentangle; disengage: with from or of: as, to
free a man from debt, or the feet from fetters; to free the lungs of morbid matter; to free a ship from water by pumping it out. - To remove.
- To clear from blame or stain; absolve from some charge; gain pardon for.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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For all of the talk, we know nothing of true 'free markets'-and what we know should be a caution yahooBuzzArticleHeadline =' For all of the talk, we know nothing of true \'free markets\'-and what we know should be a caution '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' Article: Now we are facing a historic transfer of wealth, as millions of property owners face foreclosure, eviction and possible homelessness.
For all of the talk, we know nothing of true 'free markets'-and what we know should be a caution 2008
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When you use your right of free speech to insult, or degrade someone because of their race, gender or political stance, itis longer * free* speech.
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I have to live my life not just for myself, but for Sage, Zara and Bliss. and take comfort in the realization that half of our earthbound life is spent in dreams, and that is where I am free to run and play ~with two little girls and a boy~ That ~are~ always with me. shhh, this is my dream. this is me, being set free~ old starlight - new starbright
wendchymes Diary Entry wendchymes 2007
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Dred Scott, a slave, sought to be declared a free man on the basis that he had lived for a time in a free territory with his master.
Dred Scott decision 2002
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_Enter_ Ravensburg, _hastily, in the dress of a free knight, with a paper in his hand, followed by two free_ knights.
The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810
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It was not a free life and it could not be a true life, for they all believed in the motto, "The _truth_ shall make you _free_," and instead of freedom, the "Communities" used mental constraint and tyranny to hold themselves together.
Brook Farm John Thomas Codman
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The three months have expired, and I am once more a free American citizen, and for the first time in my life I know what it is to be _free_.
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Since that day, many have been the demonstrations of grateful joy and gladness on the glorious anniversary of the emancipation of slaves on the West India Islands; and yet, in this boasted "land of the free, and home of the brave;" this famous and declared _free_ Republic, -- the
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So I sat, and I thought what such a thing would mean to me -- it would make my reputation in a day -- I should be free -- _free_!
The Journal of Arthur Stirling : the Valley of the Shadow Upton Sinclair 1923
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And they may take it as they please -- my soul is free -- _free_ once again!
The Journal of Arthur Stirling : the Valley of the Shadow Upton Sinclair 1923
skipvia commented on the word free
Without limits, no boundaries, without cost, open, wild.
December 19, 2007
chiflow commented on the word free
i like this word
i am as free as a bird
<3
June 9, 2008
bilby commented on the word free
"We all pay for life with death, so everything in between should be free."
- Bill Hicks.
July 7, 2008
sharewolf commented on the word free
I am free to think what I want.
September 16, 2008
planner commented on the word free
The use of "for free" in (mostly advertising) copy is not correct. In the context of pricing or cost, "free", like "cheap", is an adjective. You would not say "You can get things here for cheap" and you should not say "You can get things here for free". "For" is a preposition and can only be followed by certain words or phrases. (e.g. This is for you. And: This blade is used for cutting some of our toughest materials). Like the words "slow" and "slim", "free" can either be an adjective (e.g. Get your free sample here) or a verb (e.g. I will free the bird from its cage), but it is not the kind of word - such as a noun or a pronoun - that can be preceded by a preposition.
June 27, 2009
gangerh commented on the word free
Very powerful. People love anything that's Free. Particularly useful to generate new leads.
'15 words that will make you money'
July 19, 2009
oroboros commented on the word free
FrEE: free v. fee
July 30, 2009