. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
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 West Frisian frij ( “ free ” ) , Dutch vrij ( “ free ” ) , Low German free ( “ free ” ) , German frei ( “ free ” ) , Danish , Swedish and Norwegian fri ( “ 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]
The verb comes 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 .
Pronunciation
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.
Adjective
free (comparative freer or more free , superlative freest or most free )
( social ) Unconstrained .
Synonyms: unconstrained , unfettered , unhindered
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 Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :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.
Not imprisoned or enslaved .
Free Blacks
a free man
Antonyms: bound , enslaved , imprisoned
Generous ; liberal .
He's very free with his money.
( obsolete ) Clear of offence or crime; guiltless; innocent.
Without obligations .
free time
To be enjoyed by anyone freely.
a free school
( of a government, country ) Upholding individual rights.
Synonym: nonauthoritarian
Antonyms: unfree , authoritarian
the Free World
This is a free country.
( 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
( software ) Intended for release , as opposed to a checked version.
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.
The government provides free health care.
It's free real estate.
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
( by extension, chiefly used in advertising ) Complimentary .
Buy a TV to get a free DVD player!
( abstract ) Unconstrained .
( algebra , of an algebraic structure ) In any of various technical senses generic , universal .
( most generally, category theory , of an object
F
{\displaystyle F}
in a concrete category, with respect to a set
X
{\displaystyle X}
and a map
i
{\displaystyle i}
from
X
{\displaystyle X}
to the underlying set of
F
{\displaystyle F}
) Such that any map
f
{\displaystyle f}
from
X
{\displaystyle X}
to the underlying set of an object
A
{\displaystyle A}
in the same category as
F
{\displaystyle F}
induces a map
f
¯
{\displaystyle {\bar {f}}}
from
F
{\displaystyle F}
to
A
{\displaystyle A}
which is compatible with
f
{\displaystyle f}
(i.e. such that
f
=
f
¯
∘
i
{\displaystyle f={\bar {f}}\circ i}
).
( 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.
( commutative algebra , of a module ) Having a linearly independent set of generators (called a basis ).
( logic , of a variable ) Unconstrained by quantifiers .
z
{\displaystyle z}
is the free variable in
∀
x
∃
y
:
x
y
=
z
{\displaystyle \forall x\exists y:xy=z}
.
Antonym: bound
( programming ) Unconstrained of identifiers , not bound .
Synonym: unbound
Antonym: bound
( linguistics ) ( of a morpheme ) That can be used by itself, unattached to another morpheme .
( physical ) Unconstrained .
Unobstructed, without blockages .
the drain was free
Synonyms: clear , unobstructed
Antonyms: blocked , obstructed
Unattached or uncombined.
a free radical
Synonyms: loose , unfastened ; see also Thesaurus:loose
Not currently in use; not taken; unoccupied.
You can sit on this chair; it's free .
( botany , mycology ) Not attached ; loose .
In this group of mushrooms, the gills are free .
1992 , Rudolf M 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 [ …]
( military ) Of a rocket or missile : not under the control of a guidance system after being launched.
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.
( dated ) Ready; eager; acting without spurring or whipping; spirited.
a free horse
( dated ) Invested with a particular freedom or franchise; enjoying certain immunities or privileges; admitted to special rights; followed by of .
( UK , law , obsolete ) Certain or honourable; the opposite of base .
free service; free socage
( law ) Privileged or individual; proprietary.
Antonyms: common , nonproprietary
a free fishery; a free warren
Usage notes
Antonyms
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|...}}
.
Hyponyms
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|...}}
.
Derived terms
break free double free feel free first bite free footloose and fancy free free Abelian group , free abelian group free agency free agent free algebra free alongside ship free and clear free and easy , free-and-easy free as a bird free as in beer free as in freedom free as in speech free association free as the wind free ball , freeball free base free bench free-blown free board free body free-body diagram free body diagram free-boob free Boolean algebra freebooter free box free cash flow free category free cell formation Free China free church free city Free City of Tri-Insula free-climb free climber , free climbing , free-climbing free clinic free clothes association free coinage free communism , free communist free companion free convection free-cooling free corps free country free day free diver , free-diver free diving , free-diving freedom freedom ain't free , freedom is not free , freedom isn't free , freedom's not free free edge free electron free energy free enterprise free-exercise clause free expression free fall , free-fall free-fall time free fatty acid free-feed free-fire free float , free-floating free-floating planet free-flowing free-for-all free form , free-form Free France free-from free grace free group free hand , free-hand , free-handed , free-handedly , free-handedness free-hanging free-hearted , free-heartedly , free-heartedness free-heel skiing free helicopter ride freehood free house free imperial city free indirect discourse free indirect speech free indirect style free jazz Free Kirk free lance freelance free library free list free liver free-liver , free-living freeloader free-loader free love , free lover free lunch freely free market , free-market , free marketeer , free-marketeer , free marketeering , free-market fundamentalism , free-marketism Freemason free-milling free-mix free module free monoid free morpheme freeness free neutron free object free of charge free of the city free on board free pass free period free port free press free product free radical free range , free-range , free-ranging free reed free rein (or free reign )free ride , free-ride , free rider , free-rider problem free roam , free-roam , free-roaming free run free runner , free-running , free running , freerunning free school movement free semigroup free sheet , free-sheet free shop free silver free silverite free solo , free-solo , free soloist Free Soviets free space free-speaking free speech , free-speecher , free speech zone free spin free spirit , free-spirited free-spoken free-standing free state free-stone free store free-style free substitution free sugar free surface free surface effect free-swimming free-tailed bat free tekno free termineme free thinker free-thinker , free-thinking free thought free throw , free-throw lane , free-throw line , free throw percentage free time free to air , free-to-air free-tongued free to play , free-to-play Freetown free trade , free trade area , free-trade area , free trader free trial free-turbine engine free ultrafilter free university free up free use free variable free variation free verse free vote freeware free warren free water freeway free weight freewheel , free-wheeling free-will free will , free-willer , free will theorem free world free zone get out of jail free card , get-out-of-jail-free card Gibbs free energy go free half-free home free it's a free country land of the free leader of the free world live rent-free in someone's head , live rent free in someone's head make free of make free with mean free path mean free time no free lunch theorem olly olly oxen free region free set free the best things in life are free there ain't no such thing as a free lunch , there's no such thing as a free lunch there is no free lunch there is no such thing as a free lunch uncoated free sheet walk free weapons free Wee Free why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free
Translations
not imprisoned
Afrikaans: vrye (af)
Albanian: lirë (sq) (i/e)
Amharic: ነፃ ( näṣ́a )
Arabic: حُرّ (ar) ( ḥurr )
Egyptian Arabic: حر ( ḥurr )
Moroccan Arabic: حر m ( ḥurr )
Armenian: արձակ (hy) ( arjak ) , ազատ (hy) ( azat )
Aromanian: lefter
Assamese: মুকলি ( mukoli )
Asturian: llibre
Azerbaijani: azad (az)
Bambara: hɔrɔn
Bashkir: ирекле ( irekle ) , азат ( azat ) , бәйһеҙ ( bəyheź ) , хөр ( xör )
Belarusian: свабо́дны (be) ( svabódny ) , во́льны (be) ( vólʹny )
Bengali: মুক্ত (bn) ( mukto ) , আজাদ (bn) ( ajad )
Bikol Central: talingkas (bcl)
Bulgarian: свобо́ден (bg) ( svobóden )
Catalan: lliure (ca)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 自由 ( zi6 jau4 )
Mandarin: 自由的 (zh) ( zìyóu de )
Czech: svobodný (cs) , volný (cs)
Danish: fri (da)
Dutch: vrij (nl) , los (nl)
Esperanto: libera (eo)
Estonian: vaba (et) , prii (et)
Finnish: vapaa (fi)
French: libre (fr)
Friulian: libar
Galician: ceibo (gl) m , libre (gl)
Georgian: თავისუფალი ( tavisupali )
German: frei (de)
Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 ( freis )
Greek: ελεύθερος (el) ( eléftheros )
Ancient: ἐλεύθερος ( eleútheros )
Haitian Creole: lib
Hebrew: חופשי / חָפְשִׁי ( khofshí )
Hindi: मुक्त (hi) ( mukt ) , आज़ाद (hi) ( āzād ) , स्वतंत्र (hi) ( svatantra ) , रिहा (hi) ( rihā )
Hungarian: szabad (hu)
Icelandic: frjáls (is)
Ido: libera (io)
Indonesian: bebas (id)
Ingrian: vappaa
Interlingua: libere (ia)
Irish: saor
Old Irish: sóer
Istriot: leîbaro
Italian: libero (it)
Japanese: 自由 (ja) ( じゆう, jiyū )
Jarai: rơngai
Khmer: សេរី (km) ( seerəy )
Korean: 자유(自由) (ko) ( jayu )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ئازاد (ckb) ( azad ) , ڕزگار ( rizgar )
Northern Kurdish: azad (ku) , serbest (ku) , rizgar (ku)
Latin: līber (la)
Latvian: brīvs
Leonese: ḷḷibru
Lezgi: азад ( azad )
Limburgish: vrie (li)
Lithuanian: laisvas (lt)
Lombard: liber (lmo)
Low German: frii , fri
German Low German: free (nds)
Luxembourgish: fräi
Macedonian: слободен ( sloboden )
Malay: bebas (ms)
Malayalam: സ്വതന്ത്രം ( svatantraṁ )
Manchu: ᠰᡠᠯᡶᠠᠩᡤᠠ ( sulfangga )
Maori: herekore
Norman: libre
Norwegian: fri (no)
Occitan: liure (oc)
Old English: frēo
Papiamentu: liber
Persian: آزاد (fa) ( âzâd ) , رها (fa) ( rahâ )
Piedmontese: liber
Polish: wolny (pl) , swobodny (pl)
Portuguese: livre (pt)
Quechua: qispi (qu)
Romagnol: lèbar
Romanian: liber (ro) , slobod (ro)
Russian: свобо́дный (ru) ( svobódnyj ) , во́льный (ru) ( vólʹnyj )
Sanskrit: मुक्त (sa) ( mukta ) , स्वतन्त्र (sa) ( svatantra )
Scottish Gaelic: saor
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: слободан
Roman: slobodan (sh)
Seychellois Creole: lib
Sindhi: آزاد (sd) ( āzād )
Slovak: slobodný , voľný
Slovene: svoboden (sl)
Somali: xor
Southern Altai: эркин ( erkin )
Spanish: libre (es)
Swahili: huru
Swedish: fri (sv)
Tabasaran: азад ( azad )
Tagalog: malaya
Tarantino: lìbbere
Tatar: ирекле ( irekle ) , азат (tt) ( azat ) , бәйсез ( bäysez ) , хөр ( xör )
Telugu: విడుదల (te) ( viḍudala )
Thai: อิสระ (th) ( ìt-sà-rà )
Turkish: özgür (tr)
Udi: азад ( azad )
Ukrainian: ві́льний (uk) ( vílʹnyj ) , свобі́дний (uk) ( svobídnyj )
Urdu: آزاد (ur) ( āzād ) , سوتنتر ( svatantra ) , مکت ( mukt )
Uyghur: ئەركىن ( erkin ) , ھۆر ( hör )
Vietnamese: tự do (vi)
Volapük: libik (vo)
Walloon: libe (wa)
Welsh: rhydd (cy)
West Frisian: frijlitten , frij
Yiddish: פֿרײַ ( fray )
Zazaki: azad (diq) , xoser
unconstrained
Albanian: pafre (sq) , falas (sq)
Amharic: ነፃ ( näṣ́a )
Arabic: حُرّ (ar) ( ḥurr )
Egyptian Arabic: حر ( ḥurr )
Armenian: ազատ (hy) ( azat )
Assamese: মুকলি ( mukoli )
Asturian: llibre
Azerbaijani: sərbəst (az)
Bambara: hɔrɔn
Bashkir: иркен ( irken )
Catalan: lliure (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 自由的 (zh) ( zìyóu de )
Czech: volný (cs)
Danish: fri (da)
Dutch: vrij (nl) , los (nl) , loslopend (nl)
Esperanto: libera (eo)
Estonian: vaba (et) , prii (et)
Finnish: vapaa (fi) , rajoittamaton (fi)
French: libre (fr)
Galician: libre (gl) m or f
German: frei (de) , ungezwungen (de) , freimütig (de) , frank und frei (de) ( idiomatic )
Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 ( freis )
Greek: ελεύθερος (el) ( eléftheros ) , ανεμπόδιστος (el) ( anempódistos )
Hebrew: פָּנוּי ( panúy )
Hindi: आज़ाद (hi) ( āzād ) , मुक्त (hi) ( mukt ) , स्वतंत्र (hi) ( svatantra )
Ido: libera (io)
Interlingua: libere (ia) , franc (ia)
Irish: saor , scaoilte , éasca
Old Irish: sóer
Italian: libero (it) m , brado (it) m
Japanese: 自由 (ja) ( じゆう, jiyū )
Khmer: ស្រស់ស្រាយ (km) ( srɑh sraay )
Korean: 자유적(自由的) 이다 ( jayujeog-ida )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: سەربەست ( serbest )
Northern Kurdish: berdayî (ku) , aza (ku)
Latin: līber (la)
Latvian: brīvs
Limburgish: vrie (li)
Lindu: naloa
Low German:
German Low German: free (nds)
Macedonian: слободен ( sloboden )
Malay: merdeka (ms)
Malayalam: സ്വതന്ത്രം ( svatantraṁ )
Maori: māhorahora
Norman: libre
Norwegian: fri (no) , løs (no)
Old English: unċīepe
Persian: آزاد (fa) ( âzâd )
Polish: wolny (pl) , swobodny (pl)
Portuguese: livre (pt)
Romanian: liber (ro) , neîmpiedicat
Russian: свобо́дный (ru) ( svobódnyj )
Scottish Gaelic: saor
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: povoljno (sh) , voljno (sh) , neograničen (sh) , slobodan (sh)
Sindhi: چٽل
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: lichy
Spanish: libre (es)
Swedish: fri (sv)
Turkish: serbest (tr)
Vietnamese: tự do (vi)
Welsh: rhydd (cy)
Yiddish: פֿרײַ ( fray )
Zazaki: serbest
mathematics: unconstrained
unobstructed
Albanian: lirë (sq)
Assamese: মুকলি ( mukoli )
Azerbaijani: maneə törədilməmiş
Catalan: lliure (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 通暢的 / 通畅的 (zh) ( tōngchàng de ) , 順暢的 / 顺畅的 (zh) ( shùnchàng de )
Czech: volný (cs) m
Dutch: vrij (nl) , open (nl)
Esperanto: libera (eo)
Estonian: piiramatu , takistamatu
Finnish: auki (fi) ( adverb ) , aukinainen , avoin (fi) , esteetön (fi) , selvä (fi)
French: libre (fr)
German: frei (de)
Greek: ελεύθερος (el) m ( eléftheros ) , ανεμπόδιστος (el) m ( anempódistos )
Hebrew: פָּנוּי ( panúy )
Hindi: खुला (hi) ( khulā )
Ido: libera (io)
Interlingua: libere (ia) , franc (ia)
Italian: libero (it) m
Japanese: その まま の ( sono mama no )
Korean: 막힘없다 ( makhimeopda )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: vekirî (ku) , vebûyî (ku)
Limburgish: vrie (li)
Low German:
German Low German: free (nds)
Macedonian: непречен ( neprečen )
Maori: māhorahora
Norman: libre
Norwegian: åpen (no) , fri (no)
Polish: wolny (pl) , swobodny (pl)
Portuguese: livre (pt)
Romanian: liber (ro) , neîmpiedicat
Russian: беспрепя́тственный (ru) ( besprepjátstvennyj ) , свобо́дный (ru) ( svobódnyj )
Scottish Gaelic: saor
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: slobodan (sh) , otvoren (sh)
Sindhi: خلاصو
Slovene: prost (sl)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: lichy
Spanish: libre (es) , sin obstáculos (es) , despejado (es)
Telugu: అడ్డగించని ( aḍḍagiñcani )
Turkish: engellenmemiş (tr)
Yiddish: פֿרײַ ( fray )
not in use
Arabic: شَاغِر ( šāḡir )
Egyptian Arabic: فاضى ( fāḍi )
Armenian: ազատ (hy) ( azat )
Azerbaijani: boş (az)
Bashkir: буш ( buş )
Bulgarian: незает (bg) ( nezaet ) , неизползван (bg) ( neizpolzvan )
Burmese: အား (my) ( a: )
Catalan: desocupat
Czech: volný (cs)
Finnish: vapaa (fi)
French: libre (fr) , disponible (fr)
German: frei (de) , unbesetzt
Greek: ελεύθερος (el) m ( eléftheros )
Hindi: बेकार (hi) ( bekār )
Latvian: brīvs
Macedonian: слободен ( sloboden )
Norman: libre
Norwegian: ledig
Persian: آزاد (fa) ( âzâd ) , بیکار ( bi-kâr )
Polish: wolny (pl)
Portuguese: vago (pt) , livre (pt) , desocupado (pt)
Romanian: liber (ro) , neocupat (ro)
Russian: свобо́дный (ru) ( svobódnyj ) , неза́нятый (ru) ( nezánjatyj )
Spanish: libre (es) , desocupado (es)
Swedish: ledig (sv)
Telugu: ఉపయోగించని ( upayōgiñcani )
Thai: ว่าง (th) ( wâang )
Turkish: boş (tr)
Yiddish: פֿרײַ ( fray )
Zazaki: veng (diq) , bêkar , azad (diq)
without obligations
Abkhaz: аҭацәы ( atacʷə )
Albanian: pazënë (sq)
Armenian: ազատ (hy) ( azat )
Azerbaijani: sərbəst (az) , bağımsız
Bambara: hɔrɔn
Bashkir: буш ( buş ) , ирекле ( irekle )
Bulgarian: свободен (bg) ( svoboden )
Burmese: အား (my) ( a: )
Catalan: lliure (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 自由的 (zh) ( zìyóu de ) , 空閒 / 空閑 / 空闲 ( kòngxián )
Czech: volný (cs)
Danish: fri (da)
Dutch: vrij (nl) , ongedwongen (nl)
Esperanto: libera (eo)
Estonian: vaba (et)
Finnish: vapaa (fi)
French: libre (fr)
Galician: libre (gl)
German: frei (de)
Greek: ελεύθερος (el) m ( eléftheros )
Hebrew: פָּנוּי ( panúy ) , חופשי / חָפְשִׁי ( khofshí )
Hindi: निबंधन (hi) ( nibandhan )
Hungarian: szabad (hu)
Ido: libera (io)
Interlingua: libere (ia)
Irish: saor
Old Irish: sóer
Italian: libero (it)
Japanese: 自由な (ja) ( じゆうな, jiyū na )
Korean: 자의 (ko) ( jaui ) , 자유롭다 (ko) ( jayuropda )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: azad (ku) , serbest (ku)
Latvian: brīvs
Limburgish: vrie (li)
Macedonian: слободен ( sloboden )
Malayalam: സ്വതന്ത്രം ( svatantraṁ )
Maori: māhorahora
Ngazidja Comorian: na nafasi
Norman: libre m or f
Norwegian: fri (no) , ledig
Old English: frēo
Polish: wolny (pl)
Portuguese: livre (pt)
Quechua: qasi
Romanian: liber (ro) m
Russian: свобо́дный (ru) ( svobódnyj )
Scottish Gaelic: saor
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: bezobavezno , slobodan (sh)
Sindhi: فارِغ , واندو (sd)
Slovene: prost (sl)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: lichy
Spanish: libre (es) , exento (es)
Swedish: fri (sv)
Telugu: నిబంధన లేని ( nibandhana lēni )
Thai: ว่าง (th) ( wâang )
Turkish: serbest (tr) , zorunsuz
Vietnamese: rỗi (vi)
Yiddish: פֿרײַ ( fray )
software: with very few limitations on distribution or improvement
without
Arabic: بِغَيْرِ ( biḡayri ) , بِدُونِ ( bidūni )
Armenian: ազատ (hy) ( azat )
Bashkir: -һыҙ ( -hıź ) / -һеҙ ( -heź ) , -һоҙ ( -hoź ) / -һөҙ ( -höź )
Burmese: လွတ်လပ် (my) ( lwatlap )
Czech: prostý (cs)
Dutch: zonder (nl) , -vrij
Finnish: -ton (fi) , ilman (jotakin ) , -vapaa (fi)
French: sans (fr)
Galician: sen (gl)
German: frei (de) , -frei (de) , -los (de)
Hebrew: בְּלְי (he)
Hindi: बे (hi) ( be ) , बे- ( be- )
Indonesian: bebas (id) , tanpa (id)
Irish: gan (ga)
Italian: senza (it)
Low German:
German Low German: free (nds)
Macedonian: без- ( bez- ) , бес- ( bes- )
Malay: tanpa (ms)
Norwegian: fri (no) , uten (no)
Persian: بدون (fa)
Polish: bez (pl) , wolny (pl)
Portuguese: semideus (pt)
Romanian: fără (ro)
Serbo-Croatian: bez- , bes-
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: lichy
Telugu: లేకుండా (te) ( lēkuṇḍā )
Zazaki: berdos
mycology: not attached to the stipe
Translations to be checked
Albanian: ( i/e ) (please verify ) lirë (sq) , (please verify ) pa (sq)
Interlingua: (please verify ) libere (ia)
Italian: (please verify ) senza (it)
Lithuanian: ( 3 ) (please verify ) be (lt) , ( 4 ) (please verify ) neribotas
Low German: (please verify ) leddig , (please verify ) ledig
Occitan: ( 1,3 ) (please verify ) liure (oc) , ( 2 ) (please verify ) dobèrt (oc) , ( 5 ) (please verify ) gratis , ( 5 ) (please verify ) gratuït
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: (please verify ) slobodan (sh) ( 1 ) , (please verify ) besplatan (sh) ( 5 ) , (please verify ) oslobođen , (please verify ) pušten (sh)
Slovak: (please verify ) slobodný , (please verify ) bezplatný (sk) , ( 1 ) (please verify ) slobodný , ( 1, 2, 4 ) (please verify ) voľný , ( 5 ) (please verify ) bezplatný (sk)
Swedish: (please verify ) fri (sv) , (please verify ) lös (sv) , (please verify ) släppt (sv)
Tamil: (please verify ) இலவசம் (ta) ( ilavacam )
Volapük: (please verify ) libik (vo) , (please verify ) livik (vo)
West Frisian: (please verify ) frijlitten , (please verify ) befrijt
Adverb
free (comparative more free , superlative most free )
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.
( obsolete ) Freely; willingly.
Translations
without needing to pay
Albanian: falas (sq)
Arabic: مَجَّانًا ( majjānan )
Hijazi Arabic: بِبَلاش ( bibalāš )
Armenian: անվճար (hy) ( anvčar ) , ձրի (hy) ( jri )
Bulgarian: безплатно (bg) ( bezplatno )
Catalan: gratis (ca) , gratuïtament (ca) , de franc (ca)
Chukchi: эркуркэ ( ėrkurkė )
Czech: zadarmo (cs)
Danish: gratis (da)
Dutch: gratis (nl)
Esperanto: senpage
Estonian: tasuta
Finnish: ilmaiseksi (fi)
French: gratuitement (fr) , gratis (fr) , gratos (fr)
German: gratis (de) , umsonst (de)
Hindi: मुफ़्त ( muft ) , निःशुल्क ( niḥśulk ) , फोकट (hi) ( phokaṭ )
Hungarian: ingyen (hu)
Icelandic: ókeypis (is)
Indonesian: gratis (id) , cuma-cuma (id)
Irish: saor
Italian: gratuitamente (it)
Kabuverdianu: fabal
Latin: grātīs
Latvian: bezmaksas
Macedonian: бесплатно ( besplatno )
Malayalam: സൗജന്യം (ml) ( saujanyaṁ ) , സൗജന്യമായി ( saujanyamāyi )
Maori: utukore (mi)
Navajo: tʼáá jííkʼe , tʼáadoo bą́ą́h ílíní da
Norwegian: gratis (no)
Plautdietsch: emsonst
Polish: za darmo (pl) , bezpłatnie (pl)
Portuguese: grátis (pt) , de graça (pt) , gratuitamente (pt)
Russian: беспла́тно (ru) ( besplátno ) , да́ром (ru) ( dárom )
Scottish Gaelic: an-asgaidh
Spanish: gratis (es) , gratiñán , gratarola (es) ( Uruguay ) , de fai , de yapa , de balde , de gracia (es)
Swedish: gratis (sv)
Tagalog: libre , walang bayad , gratis
Tamil: இலவசம் (ta) ( ilavacam )
Telugu: చెల్లించనవసరం లేని ( celliñcanavasaraṁ lēni )
Thai: ฟรี (th) ( frii )
Turkish: bedava (tr)
Welsh: am ddim (cy)
Yiddish: בחינם ( bkhinem )
Zazaki: berdos
Verb
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 )
( 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 Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , , page 5 :Pro. [ …] Spirit , fine ſpirit, Ile free thee / Within two dayes for this.
( transitive ) To rid of something that confines or oppresses.
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."
( 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.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to make free, set at liberty
Afrikaans: bevry , loslaat , laat gaan
Albanian: shkec , liroj (sq)
Arabic: حَرَّرَ (ar) ( ḥarrara )
Egyptian Arabic: يحرر ( yeḥarrar )
Armenian: ազատել (hy) ( azatel )
Belarusian: вызваля́ць impf ( vyzvaljácʹ ) , вы́зваліць pf ( výzvalicʹ )
Bulgarian: освобожда́вам (bg) impf ( osvoboždávam ) , освободя́ pf ( osvobodjá )
Catalan: alliberar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 解放 (zh) ( jiěfàng )
Czech: osvobozovat impf , osvobodit (cs) pf
Danish: befri , fritage , løslade
Dutch: bevrijden (nl) , loslaten (nl) , laten gaan
Esperanto: liberi , liberigi
Estonian: vabastama (et) , vabaks laskma
Finnish: vapauttaa (fi) , päästää vapaaksi
French: libérer (fr) , dégager (fr) , affranchir (fr)
Galician: liberar (gl)
German: befreien (de) , freisetzen (de) ( free someone from prison )
Greek: ελευθερώνω (el) ( eleftheróno )
Hebrew: שיחרר / שִׁחְרֵר (he) ( shikhrér )
Hindi: मुक्त करना ( mukt karnā )
Hungarian: kiszabadít (hu) , felszabadít (hu) , szabadon enged (hu)
Ido: libereskar (io)
Indonesian: membebaskan (id) , memerdekakan (id)
Interlingua: liberar (ia)
Irish: saor , fuascail
Italian: liberare (it)
Japanese: 解放する (ja) ( かいほうする, kaihō suru )
Korean: 해방(解放)하다 (ko) ( haebanghada )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ڕزگار کردن ( rizgar kirdin )
Latin: līberō
Latvian: atbrīvot , atsvabināt
Lithuanian: išlaisvinti
Macedonian: ослободува impf ( osloboduva ) , ослободи pf ( oslobodi )
Malayalam: സ്വതന്ത്രമാക്കുക ( svatantramākkuka )
Maori: whakawātea (mi) , wewete , kokiro ( from a spell or ritual )
Norman: libéther
Norwegian: frigjøre (no) , frigi , befri , løslate
Occitan: desliurar (oc)
Old English: frēoġan
Persian: آزاد ساختن ( âzâd sâxtan ) , آزاد کردن (fa) ( âzâd kardan )
Polish: uwalniać (pl) impf , uwolnić (pl) pf , wyzwalać (pl) impf , wyzwolić (pl) pf , oswabadzać impf , oswobodzić (pl) pf
Portuguese: libertar (pt) , livrar (pt) , soltar (pt)
Romanian: elibera (ro) , slobozi (ro)
Russian: освобожда́ть (ru) impf ( osvoboždátʹ ) , освободи́ть (ru) pf ( osvobodítʹ ) , вызволя́ть (ru) impf ( vyzvoljátʹ ) , вы́зволить (ru) pf ( výzvolitʹ )
Sanskrit: मुञ्चति (sa) ( muñcati )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ослобађати impf , ослободити pf
Roman: oslobađati (sh) impf , osloboditi (sh) pf
Slovak: oslobodzovať impf , oslobodiť (sk) pf
Slovene: osvobajati impf , osvoboditi pf
Spanish: librar (es) , liberar (es) , libertar (es)
Swedish: frigöra (sv) , befria (sv) , frita (sv) (ga)
Telugu: విడుదల చేయు ( viḍudala cēyu )
Thai: ปลดปล่อย (th) ( bplòt-bplɔ̀i )
Turkish: serbest bırakmak (tr)
Ukrainian: звільня́ти impf ( zvilʹnjáty ) , звільни́ти pf ( zvilʹnýty ) , визволя́ти impf ( vyzvoljáty ) , ви́зволити pf ( výzvolyty )
Urdu: فرار , پری , آزاد (ur) ( āzād )
Vietnamese: giải phóng (vi) (解放 (vi) )
Welsh: rhyddhau (cy)
Yiddish: באַפֿרײַען ( bafrayen )
to rid of something that confines or oppresses
programming: to relinquish (previously allocated memory) to the system
Noun
free (plural frees )
( Australian rules football , Gaelic football ) Abbreviation of free kick .
2006 , :
Whether deserved or not, the free gave Cresswell the chance to cover himself in glory with a shot on goal after the siren.
( soccer ) A free transfer .
2011 September 21, Sam Lyon, “Man City 2 - 0 Birmingham”, in BBC Sport :Hargreaves, who left Manchester United on a free during the summer, drilled a 22-yard beauty to open the scoring.
( hurling ) The usual means of restarting play after a foul is committed, where the non-offending team restarts from where the foul was committed.
( swimming , informal ) Abbreviation of freestyle .
The team won the 200 meters free relay.
Translations
abbreviation of free kick
References
“free ”, in OneLook Dictionary Search .
Anagrams
Galician
Verb
free
inflection of frear :
first / third-person singular present subjunctive
third-person singular imperative
Low German
Etymology
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 .
Adjective
free (comparative fre'er , superlative freest )
( rather rare ) free
Declension
Positive forms of free
gender
singular
plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
all genders
predicative
he is free
se is free
dat is free
se sünd free
partitive
een Fre'es
een Fre'es
wat Fre'es
allens Fre'e
strong declension (without article)
nominative
fre'e
fre'e
free
fre'e
oblique
fre'en
fre'e
free
fre'e
weak declension (with definite article)
nominative
de fre'e
de fre'e
dat fre'e
de fre'en
oblique
den fre'en
de fre'e
dat fre'e
de fre'en
mixed declension (with indefinite article)
nominative
en fre'e/fre'en
en fre'e
en free/fre'et
(keen) fre'en
oblique
en fre'en
en fre'e
en free/fre'et
(keen) fre'en
Comparative forms of free
gender
singular
plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
all genders
predicative
he is fre'er
se is fre'er
dat is fre'er
se sünd fre'er
partitive
een fre'ers
een fre'ers
wat fre'ers
allens fre'er
strong declension (without article)
nominative
fre'ere
fre'ere
fre'er
fre'ere
oblique
fre'ern
fre'ere
fre'er
fre'ere
weak declension (with definite article)
nominative
de fre'ere
de fre'ere
dat fre'ere
de fre'ern
oblique
den fre'ern
de fre'ere
dat fre'ere
de fre'ern
mixed declension (with indefinite article)
nominative
en fre'ere/fre'eren
en fre'ere
en fre'er
(keen) fre'ern
oblique
en fre'ern
en fre'ere
en fre'er
(keen) fre'ern
Superlative forms of free
gender
singular
plural
masculine
feminine
neuter
all genders
predicative
he is de Freeste
se is de Freeste
dat is dat Freeste
se sünd de Freesten
strong declension (without article)
nominative
freeste
freeste
freest
freeste
oblique
freesten
freeste
freest
freeste
weak declension (with definite article)
nominative
de freeste
de freeste
dat freeste
de freesten
oblique
den freesten
de freeste
dat freeste
de freesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)
nominative
en freeste/freesten
en freeste
en freest
(keen) freesten
oblique
en freesten
en freeste
en freest
(keen) freesten
Note: This declension is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.
Derived terms