- free
- ▪ I. free free 1 [friː] adjective1. costing nothing:
• First-class passengers will have four films to choose from, all of them free.
• Like pizza, Chinese food is more expensive than hamburgers and can bear the cost of free delivery.
• In order to attract new members, the gym decided to offer a week's free trial.
2. no free lunch/no such thing as a free lunch used to say that something may seem to be free, but that in fact somebody must pay for it:• The economic principle of `no free lunch' applies — people get the services they pay for.
• There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you receive `free' shares, you're bound to pay for them in other ways.
3. free of/from something without something, usually something that you do not want:• The economy remains slow but relatively free of inflation.
• The interest on savings bonds is free from state and local tax.
• Personal Equity Plans, which have a £6,000 investment limit each financial year, are free of income tax and capital gains tax.
4. not restricted, limited, or controlled:• Privatization is important, but the main condition for a market economy is free prices.
free to• The company is free to impose whatever work rules and pay it chooses.
[m0] ▪ II. free free 2 verb [transitive]1. to remove laws, rules etc:free from• More prices, including that of milk, will be freed from state control.
• Ford said the sale of its heavy truck unit will free resources to concentrate on its light and medium truck business.
• The government have freed up several million dollars of federal money that was reserved for development but never spent.
[m0] ▪ III. free free 3 adverbwithout payment:• Senior citizens can travel free at off-peak times.
• This service is available to the public free of charge.
• The downloads are available for free from their website.
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Ⅰ.free UK US /friː/ adjective► costing nothing: »They received two free return air-tickets every year.
»Tomorrow, shoppers will receive free samples of the store's famous chocolate chip cookies.
free to/for sb »The Bank's 3,030 ATMs would continue to be free to everyone.
► not limited or controlled: »We know that freedom and opportunity can truly thrive in a free society that is also a responsible society.
»The website spokesperson said that its opinions are protected as free speech.
be free to do sth »Members of the public buying direct from an insurer are free to inquire about its security rating.
► something that is free is available to be used because no one else is using it: »Is this desk free?
► not in a fixed position or not joined to anything: free to do sth »With the autocue, your hands and head are free to communicate body language more powerfully.
► not doing anything planned or important: free to do sth »Are you free to attend tomorrow's board meeting?
► not having something that is unwanted: free from sth »Members must be free from politics and outside influences when making decisions.
free of sth »They proved through testing that their products were free of contamination.
Ⅱ.free UK US /friː/ adverb► without having to pay for something: »They are then given a business account free of charge by the bank.
»You can access the online database for free.
Ⅲ.free UK US /friː/ verb [T]► to make something available for someone to use: free (up) sth »The chairman has promised tough action to cut costs and free up funds to grow core businesses.
► to remove the limits or controls on someone or something: free sth from sth »The basic aim is to free the housing market from council control.
Financial and business terms. 2012.
