free

(frē)

adj. fre·er, fre·est

a. Not imprisoned or confined: walked out of prison a free man; set the birds free.

b. Not controlled by obligation or the will of another: felt free to go.

a. Not controlled by another country or political power; independent: a free nation.

b. Governed by consent and possessing or granting civil liberties: a free citizenry.

c. Not subject to arbitrary interference by a government: a free press.

d. Not enslaved.

a. Not affected or restricted by a given condition or circumstance: a healthy animal, free of disease; people free from need.

b. Not subject to a given condition; exempt: income that is free of all taxes.

a. Not bound by convention or the rules of form: a free artistic style.

b. Not literal or exact: a free translation.

a. Costing nothing; gratuitous: a free meal.

b. Publicly supported: free education.

a. Unobstructed; clear: a free lane on the highway.

b. Not occupied or used: a free locker; free energy.

c. Not taken up by scheduled activities: free time between classes.

a. Immoderate in giving or spending; liberal or lavish: tourists who are free with their money.

b. Frank or unguarded in expression or manner; open or outspoken: She is very free with her opinions.

8. Given, made, or done of one's own accord; voluntary or spontaneous: a free act of the will; free choices.

9. Chemistry & Physics

a. Unconstrained; unconfined: free expansion.

b. Not fixed in position; capable of relatively unrestricted motion: a free electron.

c. Not chemically bound in a molecule: free oxygen.

d. Involving no collisions or interactions: a free path.

e. Empty or unoccupied: a free space; an atom with a free energy level.

10. Nautical Favorable: a free wind.

11. Not bound, fastened, or attached: the free end of a chain.

12. Linguistics

a. Being a form, especially a morpheme, that can stand as an independent word, such as boat or bring.

b. Being a vowel in an open syllable, as the o in go.

adv.

1. In a free manner; without restraint.

2. Without charge.

tr.v. freed, free·ing, frees

1. To make free, as from confinement or oppression: freed the slaves.

2. To relieve of a burden, obligation, or restraint: a people who were at last freed from fear.

3. To remove obstructions or entanglements from; clear: free a path through the jungle.

4. To make available: Canceling the program freed up money for the new library.

n. Sports

Freestyle.

Idiom:

for free Informal

Without charge.

[Middle English fre, from Old English frēo. V., from Middle English freen, from Old English frēon, to love, set free; see prī- in Indo-European roots.]

free′ly adv.

free′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

free

– freely

1. no controls

You use free as an adjective to describe activities that are not controlled or limited.

We believe in free speech.

The elections were free and fair.

Don't use 'free' as an adverb with this meaning. Use freely.

We are all friends here and I can talk freely.

2. no payment

If something is free, you can have it or use it without paying for it.

The coffee was free.

Many children are entitled to free school meals.

The adverb you use with this meaning is free, not 'freely'. For example, you say 'Pensioners can travel free on the buses'. Don't say 'Pensioners can travel freely on the buses'.

Children can get into the museum free.

3. releasing

If something is cut or pulled free, it is cut or pulled so that it is no longer attached to something or no longer trapped. Don't say that something is cut or pulled 'freely'.

She tugged to get it free.

I shook my jacket free and hurried off.

4. availability

If you are free at a particular time, you are not busy. Free time is time when you are not busy.

They spend most of their free time reading.

Are you free on Tuesday?

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adv.

freely - in a free manner; "the painting featured freely brushed strokes"

freely

adverb

1. abundantly, liberally, lavishly, like water, extravagantly, copiously, unstintingly, with a free hand, bountifully, open-handedly, amply He was spending very freely.

2. openly, frankly, plainly, candidly, unreservedly, straightforwardly, without reserve He had someone to whom he could talk freely.

3. willingly, readily, voluntarily, spontaneously, without prompting, of your own free will, of your own accord He freely admits he lives for racing.

4. easily, cleanly, loosely, smoothly, readily You must allow the clubhead to swing freely.

5. without restraint, voluntarily, willingly, unchallenged, as you please, without being forced, without let or hindrance They cast their votes freely.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

freely

adverb

Of one's own free will:

spontaneously, voluntarily, willfully, willingly.

Idioms: of one's own accord, on one's own volition.

Translations

بإرادَه حُرَّهبِحُريَّه

ochotněsvobodně

frit

offen reichlich

ελεύθερα

generosamente libremente voluntariamente

librement volontiers

bõkezûen

frjálslegafúslega

esente liberamente

laisvai

fritt uten å nøle utvungent villig

slobodne

prosto

isteyereközgürce

无拘束地直率地

freely

[ˈfriːlɪ] ADV

1. (= unrestrictedly) → libremente, con libertad
they cannot move freely about the country → no pueden viajar libremente or con libertad por el país
you may come and go freely → puedes ir y venir libremente or con toda libertad
you use that word a little too freely → usas esa palabra con demasiada libertad
the hens are allowed to roam freely → las gallinas pueden deambular sueltas or en libertad
to be freely available → ser fácil de conseguir, conseguirse con facilidad

2. (= openly) [speak] → con toda libertad, francamente

3. (= willingly) → de buen grado
the contract was freely entered into → el contrato se firmó de buen grado
I freely admit I was wrong → soy el primero en admitir que estaba equivocado

4. (= generously) [give] → generosamente, con liberalidad; [flow] → copiosamente
he spent his money freely → gastaba el dinero con liberalidad or a manos llenas
the wine flowed freely → el vino fluía copiosamente

5. (= loosely) [translate] → libremente
he has freely adapted the original → ha hecho una adaptación libre del original

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

freely

[ˈfriːli] adv

(= without restriction) [move, flow, swing] → librement

(= without reservation) [talk, admit] → franchement

(= liberally) → libéralement
to spend freely → dépenser libéralement

to be freely available → être en vente libre

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

freely

adv

spend, give, lend, share (= liberally) → großzügig; (= willingly) → bereitwillig; refer → des Öfteren; perspire → stark; he was spending very freely → er gab das Geld mit vollen Händen aus; to use something freely → reichlich von etw Gebrauch machen; I freely admit that … → ich gebe gern zu, dass …

(= unrestrictedly) move, operate → frei, ungehindert; talk, speak, express oneself → frei, offen; elected, contested → in freien Wahlen; flow, travel → ungehindert; to be freely available → ohne Schwierigkeiten zu haben sein; the wine was flowing freely → der Wein floss in Strömen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

freely

[ˈfriːlɪ] adv (confess, speak) → liberamente, francamente; (generously) → generosamente
you may come and go freely → puoi andare e venire come vuoi

free

(friː) adjective

1. allowed to move where one wants; not shut in, tied, fastened etc. The prison door opened, and he was a free man.

2. not forced or persuaded to act, think, speak etc in a particular way. free speech; You are free to think what you like.

3. (with with) generous. He is always free with his money/advice.

4. frank, open and ready to speak. a free manner.

5. costing nothing. a free gift.

6. not working or having another appointment; not busy. I shall be free at five o'clock.

7. not occupied, not in use. Is this table free?

8. (with of or from) without or no longer having (especially something or someone unpleasant etc). She is free from pain now; free of charge.

verb – past tense, past participle freed –

1. to make or set (someone) free. He freed all the prisoners.

2. (with from or of) to rid or relieve (someone) of something. She was able to free herself from her debts by working at an additional job.

ˈfreedom noun

the state of not being under control and being able to do whatever one wishes. The prisoner was given his freedom.

ˈfreely adverb

1. in a free manner. to give freely to charity; to speak freely.

2. willingly; readily. I freely admit it was my fault.

Freefone^® noun

(also freephone ; American toll-free number) a telephone number of a business or an organization that can be used free of charge by their customers etc; the system giving this service.

ˌfree-for-ˈall noun

a contest, debate etc in which anyone can take part.

ˈfreehand adjective, adverb

(of a drawing etc) (done) without any instruments (eg a ruler) to guide the hand.

ˈfreehold adjective

(of land, property etc) belonging completely to the owner, not just for a certain time.

ˈfreelance noun, adjective

(of or done by) a person who is working on his own, not for any one employer. a freelance journalist; freelance work.

verb

to work in this way. He is freelancing now.

Freepost noun

a system in Britain in which a business or an organization pays the cost of the post sent to it.

free ˈskating noun

a free style in ice-skating competitions.

free speech

the right to express an opinion freely. I believe in free speech.

free trade

trade with foreign countries without customs duties, taxes etc.

ˈfreeway noun

a motorway.

ˌfreeˈwheel verb

to travel (downhill) on a bicycle, in a car etc without using mechanical power.

free will

the ability to choose and act freely. He did it of his own free will.

a free hand

freedom to do whatever one likes. He gave her a free hand with the servants.

set free

to make (someone) free. The soldiers set the terrorists' prisoners free.