free

Universal Words adjective, verb, adverb adjective (freer ) not controlled 1 ~ (to do sth) not under the control or in the power of sb else; able to do what you want: I have no ambitions other than to have a happy life and be free. * Students have a free choice of courses in their final year. * You are free to come and go as you please. * (spoken) 'Can I use the phone?' 'Please, feel free (= of course you can use it).' 2 not restricted or controlled by anyone else; able to do or say what you want: A true democracy complete with free speech and a free press was called for. * the country's first free election * They gave me free access to all the files. not prisoner 3 (of a person) not a prisoner or slave: He walked out of jail a free man. animal / bird 4 not tied up or in a cage: The researchers set the birds free. no payment 5 costing nothing: Admission is free. * free samples / tickets / advice * We're offering a fabulous free gift with each copy you buy. * You can't expect people to work for free (= without payment). not blocked 6 clear; not blocked: Ensure there is a free flow of air around the machine. without sth 7 ~ from / of sth not containing or affected by sth harmful or unpleasant: free from difficulty / doubt / fear * free from artificial colours and flavourings * It was several weeks before he was completely free of pain. 8 (-free) (in adjectives) without the thing mentioned: virtually fat-free yoghurt * tax-free earnings * a trouble-free life not attached / trapped 9 ~ (of sth) not attached to sth or trapped by sth: Pull gently on the free end of the rope. * They had to be cut free from their car after the accident. * She finally managed to pull herself free. not being used 10 not being used: He held out his free hand and I took it. * Is this seat free? not busy 11 ~ (for sth) (of a person or time) without particular plans or arrangements; not busy: If Sarah is free for lunch I'll take her out. * Keep Friday night free for my party. * What do you like to do in your free time (= when you are not working)? ready to give 12 ~ with sth (often disapproving) ready to give sth, especially when it is not wanted: He's too free with his opinions. translation 13 a free TRANSLATION is not exact but gives the general meaning compareLITERAL IDIOMS free and easy informal; relaxed: Life was never going to be so free and easy again. get, have, etc. a free hand to get, have, etc. the opportunity to do what you want to do and to make your own decisions: I was given a free hand in designing the syllabus. get, take, etc. a free ride to get or take sth without paying because sb else is paying for it it's a free country (spoken) used as a reply when sb suggests that you should not do sth: It's a free country; I'll say what I like! there's no such thing as a free lunch (spoken) used to say that it is not possible to get sth for nothing moreatHOMEadv., REINn. verb prisoner 1 [VN] ~ sb (from sth) to allow sb to leave prison or somewhere they have been kept against their WILL (= where they did not want to be kept): By the end of May nearly 100 of an estimated 2000 political prisoners had been freed. * The hijackers agreed to free a further ten hostages. * The starting point for emancipation was the freeing of children of slaves born after a certain date. sb / sth trapped 2 [VN] ~ sb/sth / yourself (from sth) to move sb/sth that is caught or fixed on sth: Three people were freed from the wreckage. * She struggled to free herself. * A good kick finally freed the door. * He managed to free his arms from their bonds. remove sth 3 [VN] ~ sb/sth of / from sb/sth to remove sth that is unpleasant or not wanted from sb/sth SYNRID: These exercises help free the body of tension. * The police are determined to free the town of violent crime. * The centre aims to free young people from dependency on drugs. make available 4 [VN] ~ sb/sth (up) to make sb/sth available for a particular purpose: We freed time each week for a project meeting. * The government has promised to free up more resources for education. 5 [VNtoinf] to give sb the extra time to do sth that they want to do: Winning the prize freed him to paint full-time. adverb without payment 1 (also free of charge) without payment: Children under five travel free. not trapped 2 away from or out of a position in which sb/sth is stuck or trapped: The wagon broke free from the train. seealsoSCOT-FREE IDIOMS make free with sth (disapproving) to use sth a lot, even though it does not belong to you: Does she know that you're making free with her belongings? run free (of an animal) to be allowed to go where it likes; not tied to anything or kept in a cage moreatWALKv.