4 VERB If you free someone of something that is unpleasant or restricting, you remove it from them. □ [V n + of/from ] The 30-year-old star is trying to free himself from his recording contract.
5 ADJ [ADJ n, v-link ADJ , ADJ after v] Someone who is free is no longer a prisoner or a slave. □ More than ninety prisoners have been set free so far under a government amnesty.
6 VERB To free a prisoner or a slave means to let them go or release them from prison. □ [V n] The new government said it had freed all political prisoners. □ [V -ed] The act had a specific intent, to protect freed slaves from white mobs.
7 ADJ If someone or something is free of or free from an unpleasant thing, they do not have it or they are not affected by it. □ [+ of/from ] …a future far more free of fear. □ The filtration system provides the crew with clean air free from fumes.
8 ADJ A sum of money or type of goods that is free of tax or duty is one that you do not have to pay tax on.
9 → see also duty-free , interest-free , tax-free
10 VERB To free someone or something means to make them available for a task or function that they were previously not available for. □ [V n] Toolbelts free both hands and lessen the risk of dropping hammers. □ [V n to-inf] His deal with Disney will run out shortly, freeing him to pursue his own project. □ [V n + from/of/for ] There were more civilians working for the police, freeing officers from desk jobs. ● PHRASAL VERB Free up means the same as free . □ [V P n] It can handle even the most complex graphic jobs, freeing up your computer for other tasks. [Also V n P ]
11 ADJ If you have a free period of time or are free at a particular time, you are not working or occupied then. □ She spent her free time shopping. □ I am always free at lunchtime.
12 ADJ If something such as a table or seat is free , it is not being used or occupied by anyone, or is not reserved for anyone to use. □ There was only one seat free on the train.
13 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you get something free or if it gets free , it is no longer trapped by anything or attached to anything. □ He pulled his arm free, and strode for the door. □ The shark was writhing around wildly, trying to get free.
14 VERB If you free someone or something, you remove them from the place in which they have been trapped or become fixed. □ [V n] It took firemen two hours to cut through the drive belt to free him.
15 ADJ [ADJ n] When someone is using one hand or arm to hold or move something, their other hand or arm is referred to as their free one. □ He snatched up the receiver and his free hand groped for the switch on the bedside lamp.
16 ADJ [v-link ADJ with n] If you say that someone is free with something such as advice or money, you mean that they give a lot of it, sometimes when it is not wanted. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ They weren't always so free with their advice. □ They would often be free with criticism, some of it unjustified.
17 PHRASE You say ' feel free ' when you want to give someone permission to do something, in a very willing way. [INFORMAL , FORMULAE ] □ If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask me.
18 PHRASE If you do something or get something for free , you do it without being paid or get it without having to pay for it. [INFORMAL ] □ I wasn't expecting you to do it for free.
19 to give someone a free hand → see hand ➊
▸ free up
1 → see free 10
2 PHRASAL VERB To free up a market, economy, or system means to make it operate with fewer restrictions and controls. □ [V P n] …policies for freeing up markets and extending competition. [Also V n P ]
-free /-friː / COMB -free combines with nouns to form adjectives that indicate that something does not have the thing mentioned, or has only a little of it. For example, sugar-free drinks do not contain any sugar, and lead-free petrol is made using only a small amount of lead. □ …a salt-free diet.
free a gent (free agents )
1 N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a free agent , you are emphasizing that they can do whatever they want to do, because they are not responsible to anyone or for anyone. □ We are not free agents; we abide by the decisions of our president.
2 N‑COUNT If a sports player is a free agent , he or she is free to sign a contract with any team. [AM ]
free and ea sy also free-and-easy ADJ Someone or something that is free and easy is casual and informal. □ …the free and easy atmosphere of these cafés.
free|bie /friː bi/ (freebies ) N‑COUNT A freebie is something that you are given, usually by a company, without having to pay for it. [INFORMAL ]
free|dom ◆◆◇ /friː dəm/ (freedoms )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Freedom is the state of being allowed to do what you want to do. Freedoms are instances of this. □ …freedom of speech. □ They want greater political freedom. □ Today we have the freedom to decide our own futures. □ The United Nations Secretary-General has spoken of the need for individual freedoms and human rights.