| English Dictionary |
FREE (freer, freest)
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
, freest Dictionary entry overview: What does free mean?
• FREE (noun)
The noun FREE has 1 sense:
1. people who are free
Familiarity information: FREE used as a noun is very rare.
• FREE (adjective)
The adjective FREE has 9 senses:
1. not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
2. unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion
3. costing nothing
4. not occupied or in use
5. not fixed in position
6. not held in servitude
7. not taken up by scheduled activities
8. completely wanting or lacking
9. not literal
Familiarity information: FREE used as an adjective is familiar.
• FREE (verb)
The verb FREE has 11 senses:
1. grant freedom to; free from confinement
2. relieve from
3. remove or force out from a position
4. grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
5. make (information) available for publication
6. free from obligations or duties
7. free or remove obstruction from
8. let off the hook
9. part with a possession or right
10. release (gas or energy) as a result of a chemical reaction or physical decomposition
11. make (assets) available
Familiarity information: FREE used as a verb is familiar.
• FREE (adverb)
The adverb FREE has 1 sense:
1. without restraint
Familiarity information: FREE used as an adverb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
People who are free
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Synonyms:
free; free people
Context example:
the home of the free and the brave
Hypernyms ("free" is a kind of...):
people ((plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively)
Derivation:
free (grant freedom to; free from confinement)
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: freest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint
Context example:
a free choice
Similar:
unrestricted (free of restrictions on conduct)
unhampered (not held in check or subject to control)
unconstrained (free from constraint)
unconfined; unimprisoned (free from confinement or physical restraint)
out-of-school (not attending school and therefore free to work)
footloose (free to go or do as one pleases)
emancipated; liberated (free from traditional social restraints)
clear (free from contact or proximity or connection)
available; uncommitted (not busy; not otherwise committed)
autonomous; independent; self-governing; sovereign ((of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces)
at large; escaped; loose; on the loose (having escaped, especially from confinement)
atrip; aweigh ((of an anchor) just clear of the bottom)
Also:
free (not held in servitude)
unrestricted (not subject to or subjected to restriction)
unrestrained (not subject to restraint)
unbound (not restrained or tied down by bonds)
unconfined (not confined)
independent (free from external control and constraint)
Attribute:
freedom (the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints)
Antonym:
unfree (hampered and not free; not able to act at will)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion
Context example:
a free electron
Similar:
liberated ((of a gas e.g.) released from chemical combination)
unbound (not held in chemical or physical combination)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Antonym:
bound (held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Costing nothing
Synonyms:
complimentary; costless; free; gratis; gratuitous
Context example:
free admission
Similar:
unpaid (not paid)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Not occupied or in use
Context example:
a free lane
Similar:
unoccupied (not held or filled or in use)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Not fixed in position
Synonyms:
detached; free
Context example:
he pulled his arm free and ran
Similar:
unfixed (not firmly placed or set or fastened)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Not held in servitude
Context example:
after the Civil War he was a free man
Similar:
freeborn (born free of free parents)
free-soil; non-slave; slaveless (where slavery was prohibited)
Also:
free (not limited or hampered; not under compulsion or restraint)
Antonym:
unfree (held in servitude)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Not taken up by scheduled activities
Synonyms:
free; spare
Context example:
spare time on my hands
Similar:
unoccupied (not held or filled or in use)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Completely wanting or lacking
Synonyms:
barren; destitute; devoid; free; innocent
Context example:
the sentence was devoid of meaning
Similar:
nonexistent (not having existence or being or actuality)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Not literal
Synonyms:
Context example:
a free translation of the poem
Similar:
inexact (not exact)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it frees Past simple: freed
Past participle: freed
-ing form: freeing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Grant freedom to; free from confinement
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
free; liberate; loose; release; unloose; unloosen
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
parole (release a criminal from detention and place him on parole)
bail out (free on bail)
bail (release after a security has been paid)
run (set animals loose to graze)
unchain (make free)
unspell (release from a spell)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sentence example:
They want to free the prisoners
Antonym:
confine (deprive of freedom; take into confinement)
Derivation:
free (people who are free)
freeing (the act of liberating someone or something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Relieve from
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
disembarrass; free; rid
Context example:
Rid the house of pests
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
cleanse (purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins)
relieve (free from a burden, evil, or distress)
smooth; smooth out (free from obstructions)
clear (clear from impurities, blemishes, pollution, etc.)
disinfest (rid of vermin)
disembody (free from a body or physical form or reality)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody of something
Sense 3
Meaning:
Remove or force out from a position
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
dislodge; free
Context example:
He finally could free the legs of the earthquake victim who was buried in the rubble
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 4
Meaning:
Grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
Context example:
She exempted me from the exam
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
derestrict (make free from restrictions)
deregulate (lift the regulations on)
dispense (grant a dispensation; grant an exemption)
forgive (absolve from payment)
spare (save or relieve from an experience or action)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Sense 5
Meaning:
Make (information) available for publication
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
free; release
Context example:
release the list with the names of the prisoners
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
issue; supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
declassify (lift the restriction on and make available again)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 6
Meaning:
Free from obligations or duties
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
discharge; free
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
disinvest; divest (deprive of status or authority)
relieve; take over (free someone temporarily from his or her obligations)
cut (discharge from a group)
clear (free from payment of customs duties, as of a shipment)
cashier (discharge with dishonor, as in the army)
liberate; set free (grant freedom to)
disembroil; disentangle; disinvolve (free from involvement or entanglement)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Derivation:
freeing (the act of liberating someone or something)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Free or remove obstruction from
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
disengage; free
Context example:
free a path across the cluttered floor
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
dig out (dig out from underneath earth or snow)
unclog (become or cause to become unobstructed)
loosen up; unstuff (cause to become unblocked)
disencumber; disentangle; extricate; untangle (release from entanglement of difficulty)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Antonym:
obstruct (block passage through)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Let off the hook
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
absolve; free
Context example:
I absolve you from this responsibility
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
forgive (stop blaming or grant forgiveness)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
justify ((used of God) declare innocent; absolve from the penalty of sin)
excuse; exempt; let off; relieve (grant exemption or release to)
wash one's hands (to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody of something
Sense 9
Meaning:
Part with a possession or right
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
free; give up; release; relinquish; resign
Context example:
resign a claim to the throne
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
give; hand; pass; pass on; reach; turn over (place into the hands or custody of)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "free"):
derequisition (release from government control)
give; sacrifice (endure the loss of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Sense 10
Meaning:
Release (gas or energy) as a result of a chemical reaction or physical decomposition
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
bring forth; generate (bring into existence)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 11
Meaning:
Make (assets) available
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
free; release; unblock; unfreeze
Context example:
release the holdings in the dictator's bank account
Hypernyms (to "free" is one way to...):
issue; supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 1
Meaning:
Without restraint
Synonyms:
free; loose
Context example:
cows in India are running loose
Context examples
I would like to do it to-night, but for Arthur I must not; he will be free after his father's funeral to-morrow, and he will want to see her—to see it.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Patients on a gluten-free diet also had higher levels of reovirus antibodies and IRF1 levels in their small intestines, suggesting reovirus infection may lead to long-lasting gene expression changes.
(Virus linked to food sensitivity, NIH)
In cancer research, it is the likelihood that a person who is free of a specific type of cancer at a given age will develop that cancer over a certain period of time.
(Absolute risk, NCI Dictionary)
The pore allows free diffusion of molecules into and out of the cell and reduces cell viability.
(Activation of Membrane Attack Complex, NCI Thesaurus)
His intention was to rest Dave, letting him run free behind the sled.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
It also helps prevent cell damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive chemicals).
(Alpha-tocopherol, NCI Dictionary)
Adverse events may be captured either as free text or a pre-specified list of terms.
(Adverse Event Domain, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)
Affected family members develop Alzheimer’s in their 40s, but she remained disease free until her 70s.
(Unique case of disease resistance reveals possible Alzheimer’s treatment, National Institutes of Health)
Stick a knife in him and let his spirit free.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
In the total study population, treatment with 100 mg of low-dose aspirin per day did not affect survival free of dementia or disability.
(Daily low-dose aspirin found to have no effect on healthy life span in older people, National Institutes of Health)
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