From Middle English free, fre, freo, from Old English frēo (“free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (“beloved, not in bondage”), from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“pleased, loved”), from *preyH- (“to please, love”). Related to friend.

cognates, etc

Germanic cognates include Scots fre (“free”), North Frisian frai, frei, fri, Frii (“free”), Saterland Frisian fräi (“free”), West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), German frei (“free”), Low German free (“free”), Luxembourgish fräi (“free”), Vilamovian frȧj (“free”), Yiddish פֿרײַ (fray, “free”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fri (“free”), Faroese fríur (“free”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 (freis, “free”).

Other cognates include Sanskrit प्रिय (priyá-, “beloved”).

Germanic and Celtic are the only Indo-European language branches in which the PIE word with the meaning of "dear, beloved" acquired the additional meaning of "free" in the sense of "not in bondage". This was an extension of the idea of "characteristic of those who are dear and beloved", in other words friends and tribe members (in contrast to unfree inhabitants from other tribes and prisoners of war, many of which were among the slaves – compare the Latin use of liberi to mean both "free persons" and "children of a family").[1][2]

A sign advertising free beer (obtainable without payment). It is a joke: every day the sign is read, the free beer will be available "tomorrow" (therefore never).
A "buy one get one free" sign at a flower stand (obtainable without additional payment).
This food product (half and half) is labelled "fat free", meaning it contains no detectable fat.

free (comparative freer or more free, superlative freest or most free)

  2. (social) Unconstrained.
    Synonyms: unconstrained, unfettered, unhindered, quit
    Antonyms: constrained, restricted

    He was given free rein to do whatever he wanted.

    • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
      Quickly, spirit! / Thou shalt ere long be free.
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:

      There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […] .”

    • 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

      Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector.

    2. Not imprisoned or enslaved.
      Antonyms: bound, enslaved, imprisoned

      Free Blacks

      a free man

    4. Generous; liberal.

      He's very free with his money.

    6. (obsolete) Clear of offence or crime; guiltless; innocent.
    8. Without obligations.

      free time

    10. To be enjoyed by anyone freely.

      a free school

    12. (of a government, country) Upholding individual rights.
      Synonym: nonauthoritarian
      Antonyms: unfree, authoritarian

      the Free World

      This is a free country.

    14. (software) With no or only freedom-preserving limitations on distribution or modification.
      Synonyms: libre, free as in speech, free as in freedom
      Antonyms: proprietary, nonfree
      Coordinate terms: gratis, free as in beer
    16. (software) Intended for release, and omitting debugging diagnostics, as opposed to a checked version.
  4. Obtainable without any payment.
    • 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

      Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.

    Synonyms: free of charge, gratis, costless, feeless; free as in beer
    Antonym: see at nonfree
    Coordinate terms: libre, free as in speech, free as in freedom

    The government provides free health care.

    It's free real estate.

    2. (by extension, chiefly used in advertising) Complimentary.

      Buy a TV to get a free DVD player!

  6. (abstract) Unconstrained.
    2. (algebra, of an algebraic structure) In any of various technical senses generic, universal.
      1. (category theory, of a functor F {\displaystyle F} {\displaystyle F}) Left adjoint to a forgetful functor G {\displaystyle G} {\displaystyle G}; such that any map f : X → G ( A ) {\displaystyle f:X\to G(A)} {\displaystyle f:X\to G(A)} induces a universal map f ¯ : F ( X ) → A {\displaystyle {\bar {f}}:F(X)\to A} {\displaystyle {\bar {f}}:F(X)\to A}.
      2. (category theory, of an object) Belonging to the image of some free functor.
      3. (group theory, of a group) Having a set of generators which satisfy no non-trivial relations; equivalently, being the group of reduced words on a set of generators.
      4. (commutative algebra, of a module) Having a linearly independent set of generators (called a basis).
    3. (logic, of a variable) Unconstrained by quantifiers.
      Antonym: bound
      z {\displaystyle z} {\displaystyle z} is the free variable in ∀ x ∃ y : x y = z {\displaystyle \forall x\exists y:xy=z} {\displaystyle \forall x\exists y:xy=z}.
    4. (programming) Unconstrained of identifiers, not bound.
      Synonym: unbound
      Antonym: bound
    6. (linguistics) (of a morpheme) That can be used by itself, unattached to another morpheme.
  8. (physical) Unconstrained.
    2. Unobstructed, without blockages.
      Synonyms: clear, unobstructed
      Antonyms: blocked, obstructed

      the drain was free

    4. Unattached or uncombined.
      Synonyms: loose, unfastened; see also Thesaurus:loose

      a free radical

    6. Not currently in use; not taken; unoccupied.

      You can sit on this chair; it's free.

    8. (botany, mycology) Not attached; loose.

      In this group of mushrooms, the gills are free.

      • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 7:

        Furthermore, the free anterior margin of the lobule is arched toward the lobe and is often involute […]

    10. (military) Of a rocket or missile: not under the control of a guidance system after being launched.
  10. Without; not containing (what is specified); exempt; clear; liberated.
    Synonym: without

    We had a wholesome, filling meal, free of meat.  I would like to live free from care in the mountains.

    • 1679-1715, Gilbert Burnet, The History of the Reformation of the Church of England:

      princes declaring themselves free from the obligations of their treaties

    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

      One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.

  11. (dated) Ready; eager; acting without spurring or whipping; spirited.

    a free horse

  12. (dated) Invested with a particular freedom or franchise; enjoying certain immunities or privileges; admitted to special rights; followed by of.
  13. (UK, law, obsolete) Certain or honourable; the opposite of base.

    free service;  free socage

  15. (law) Privileged or individual; proprietary.
    Antonyms: common, nonproprietary

    a free fishery;  a free warren

  16. (US, slang, motor racing) Having oversteer.
    Synonym: loose
The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.
The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.

not imprisoned

unconstrained

mathematics: unconstrained

unobstructed

not in use

without obligations

software: with very few limitations on distribution or improvement

without

mycology: not attached to the stipe

Translations to be checked

free (comparative more free, superlative most free)

  1. Without needing to pay.
    Synonyms: for free, for nothing, gratis

    I got this bike free.

    • 1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 714:

      Above all, the 48-page timetables of the new service, which have been distributed free at every station in the scheme, are a model to the rest of B.R. For the first time on British Railways, so far as we are aware, a substantial timetable has been produced, not only without a single footnote but also devoid of all wearisome asterisks, stars, letter suffixes and other hieroglyphics.

  2. (obsolete) Freely; willingly.

without needing to pay

From Middle English freen, freoȝen, from Old English frēon, frēoġan (“to free; make free”), from Proto-West Germanic *frijōn, from Proto-Germanic *frijōną, from Proto-Indo-European *preyH-, and is cognate with German freien, Dutch vrijen, Czech přát, Serbo-Croatian prijati, Polish sprzyjać.

A painting depicting mythical Greek hero Perseus freeing Andromeda, who was imprisoned by a sea monster

free (third-person singular simple present frees, present participle freeing, simple past and past participle freed)

  1. (transitive) To make free; set at liberty; release.
    • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 5:
      Pro. […] Spirit, fine ſpirit, Ile free thee / Within two dayes for this.
    • 2025 July 9, Mitchell McCluskey and Larry Madowo, “Trump praises ‘good English’ of Liberian president, prompting criticism across Africa”, in CNN‎[1]:

      Liberia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society whose goal was to resettle freed slaves in Africa.

  2. (transitive) To rid of something that confines or oppresses. [with from]
    • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 564:

      Then I walked about, till I found on the further side, a great river of sweet water, running with a strong current; whereupon I called to mind the boat-raft I had made aforetime and said to myself, "Needs must I make another; haply I may free me from this strait. If I escape, I have my desire and I vow to Allah Almighty to forswear travel; and if I perish I shall be at peace and shall rest from toil and moil."

  3. (transitive, programming) To relinquish (previously allocated memory) to the system.
    • 2002, Jesse Liberty, SAMS Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours, page 148:

      There is no way to access that original area of memory, nor is there any way to free it before the program ends.

to make free, set at liberty

— see also liberate

to rid of something that confines or oppresses

programming: to relinquish (previously allocated memory) to the system

free (plural frees)

  1. (Australian rules football, Gaelic football) Abbreviation of free kick.
    • 2006, [2]:
      Whether deserved or not, the free gave Cresswell the chance to cover himself in glory with a shot on goal after the siren.
  2. (soccer) A free transfer.
    • 2011 September 21, Sam Lyon, “Man City 2 - 0 Birmingham”, in BBC Sport‎[3]:

      Hargreaves, who left Manchester United on a free during the summer, drilled a 22-yard beauty to open the scoring.

  3. (hurling) The usual means of restarting play after a foul is committed, where the non-offending team restarts from where the foul was committed.
  4. (swimming, informal) Abbreviation of freestyle.

    The team won the 200 meters free relay.

abbreviation of free kick

  • “free”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

free

  1. inflection of frear:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

From Middle Low German vrîe, variant of vrî, from Old Saxon frī, from Proto-Germanic *frijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *priHós (“beloved”). Compare Dutch vrij, West Frisian frij, English free, German frei.

free (comparative fre'er, superlative freest)

  1. (rather rare) free

Comparative forms of free

Superlative forms of free

Note: This declension is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.