Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

free

1 adjective
     
free1 S1 W1
1

no cost

something that is free does not cost you any money:
Admission is free for children under 9.
All students are offered free accommodation.
Send for our free information pack for more details.
There's a special free gift with this month's magazine.
2

not a prisoner

not held, tied up, or kept somewhere as a prisoner:
He knew he could be free in as little as three years.
With one leap he was free!
He walked out of the courtroom a free man.
They have called on the government to set all political prisoners free.
He was found not guilty and walked free from the court.
The animals are allowed to run free in the park.
Hundreds of dogs roam free on the streets.
break/pull/struggle free
She broke free from her attacker.
3

not controlled

allowed to do or say whatever you want, or allowed to happen, without being controlled or restricted by anyone or anything:
We had a free and open discussion about religion.
free to do something
Remember, you are free to say no.
free from
Newspapers today are entirely free from government control.
Women are struggling to break free from tradition.
free of
I longed to be free of my family.
He became president following the country's first free elections last year.
We would all support the principle of free speech.
For the first time in its history, the country has a free press.
Patients are now allowed free access to their medical records.
The legislation will allow the free movement of goods through all the countries in Europe.
4

not busy

if you are free, or have some free time, you have no work, and nothing else that you must do [↪ available]:
I'm free next weekend.
free for
Are you free for lunch tomorrow?
free to do something
At last I was free to concentrate on my own research.
a free day/morning/half-hour etc
I haven't got a free day this week.
Children these days have very little free time.
5

not being used

something that is free is available to use because it is not already being used:
Is this seat free?
I'm afraid we don't have any free tables this evening.
He used his free hand to open the door.
6

not suffering

not suffering from something
free of
At last she was free of pain.
free from
A lot of the patients are now free from symptoms.
pain-free/trouble-free etc
a stress-free life
7

not containing something

not containing something
free from/of
All our drinks are free from artificial colourings.
fat-free/dairy-free etc
a fat-free yoghurt
8

tax

if something is free of tax, you do not have to pay tax on it
free of
This income should be free of tax.
tax-free/duty-free etc
tax-free earnings
an opportunity to buy duty-free goods
9

feel free

spoken used to tell someone that they can do something:
Feel free to ask questions.
'Can I use your bathroom?' 'Yes, feel free.'
10

free and easy

relaxed, friendly, and without many rules:
I knew that life wasn't going to be so free and easy now.
the free and easy atmosphere of university life
11

free spirit

someone who lives as they want to rather than in the way that society considers normal
12

give somebody a free hand/rein

to let someone do whatever they want or need to do in a particular situation:
The producer was given a free rein with the script.
13

there's no free lunch

also there's no such thing as a free lunch used to say that you should not expect to get something good without having to pay for it or make any effort
14

it's a free country

British English used, usually humorously, to say that you are or should be allowed to do something, after someone has said that you should not do it:
It's a free country. You can't stop me.
15

get/take a free ride

informal to get something without paying for it or working for it, because other people are paying or working for it:
They are encouraging all workers to join the union rather than just taking a free ride on those who do join.
16

be free with something

to be very generous with something:
He seems to be very free with other people's money.
She is always free with her advice.
17

make free with something

informal to use something that belongs to someone else when you should not:
I knew that they had been making free with our food.
18

not restricted

something that is free is not held, blocked, or restricted:
We opened both doors to allow a free flow of air through the building.
19

chemicals

technical a free chemical substance is not combined with any other substance:
the amount of free oxygen in the atmosphere
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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