free

A1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /friː/ UK /fɹiː/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like three /θ/ vs /f/ Sounds like flee /l/ vs /r/

adj noun verb Freq #496

Meanings

1

adj
Costing no money.

The museum offers free entry on Sundays.
2

adj
Able to do what you want, without being controlled or restricted.

He was given free rein to do whatever he wanted.
3

adj
Not being used or occupied; available.

Is this seat free?
4

verb
To set someone or something free; to release.

The prisoners were finally freed after ten years.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · able to do what you want,... unconstrained unfettered unhindered

3 adj · not being used or occupied;... spare vacant

4 verb · to set someone or something... release liberate

More befreeemancipate manumit unchainunfetterunshackle

Opposites

unfree

Word family

Forms freedfreeingfreerfreesfreest

Derived forms befreefree-bleedingfree-blownfree-boobfree-climbfree-climbingfree-coolingfree-diverfree-divingfree-fallfree-feedfree-fire

Related forms friend

Common collocations

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 Scots fre (“free”), North Frisian frai, frei, fri, Frii (“free”), Saterland Frisian fräi (“free”), West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), German frei (“free”), Low German free (“free”), Luxembourgish fräi (“free”), Vilamovian frȧj (“free”), Yiddish פֿרײַ (fray, “free”), Danish, Norwegia…

*preyH- Proto-Indo-European free Middle English frēo Old English *frī Proto-West Germanic *frijaz Proto-Germanic *priHós Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

# free

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun, verb
**IPA (US):** friː
**IPA (UK):** fɹiː
**Frequency rank:** 496

## Meanings
1. Costing no money.
2. Able to do what you want, without being controlled or restricted.
3. Not being used or occupied; available.
4. To set someone or something free; to release.

## Examples
- The museum offers free entry on Sundays.
- He was given free rein to do whatever he wanted.
- Is this seat free?
- The prisoners were finally freed after ten years.

## Synonyms
- befree
- emancipate
- liberate
- manumit
- release
- unchain
- unfetter
- unshackle

## Antonyms
- unfree

## Derived Forms
- befree
- free-bleeding
- free-blown
- free-boob
- free-climb
- free-climbing
- free-cooling
- free-diver
- free-diving
- free-fall
- free-feed
- free-fire

## Related Forms
- friend

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *preyH-
- Root: free
- Root: frēo
- Root: *frī
- Root: *frijaz
- Root: *priHós

## 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 Scots fre (“free”), North Frisian frai, frei, fri, Frii (“free”), Saterland Frisian fräi (“free”), West Frisian frij (“free”), Dutch vrij (“free”), German frei (“free”), Low German free (“free”), Luxembourgish fräi (“free”), Vilamovian frȧj (“free”), Yiddish פֿרײַ (fray, “free”), Danish, Norwegia…

## AI Etymology
Free comes 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. In current use, the main senses are “Costing no money” and “Able to do what you want, without being controlled or restricted”.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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