free
grant freedom to; free from confinement
How often you will meet it
Rank 567 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 34,413 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.016% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- grant freedom to; free from confinement also: liberate, release, unloose, unloosen, loose
- relieve from also: rid, disembarrass Rid the house of pests
- remove or force out from a position also: dislodge The dentist dislodged the piece of food that had been stuck under my gumsHe finally could free the legs of the earthquake victim who was buried in the rubble
- grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to also: exempt, relieve She exempted me from the exam
- make (information) available for publication also: release release the list with the names of the prisoners
- free from obligations or duties also: discharge
free in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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All her quarter and what was there, was free and dry.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
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But the times are such that patriotism—not free from solicitude—urges a claim overriding all literary scruples.
John Marr and Other Poems · Herman Melville · Chapter 1
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The railroads put up bulletins offering free transportation to all who would join in the search.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
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And shall I, Having a path so open, and so free To my preferment, still retain your milk In my pale forehead?
The White Devil · John Webster · Chapter 1
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Articles of interest or curiosity, procured by the passengers during the voyage, may be brought home in the steamer free of charge.
The Innocents Abroad — Volume 01 · Mark Twain · Chapter 1