free

/ˈfrē/

Middle English, from Old English frēo; akin to Old High German frī free, Welsh rhydd, Sanskrit priya own, dear

adjective

  1. not costing or charging anything

  2. having the legal and political rights of a citizen

  3. enjoying civil and political liberty

a free school

free independent sovereign autonomous mean not subject to the rule or control of another. free stresses the complete absence of external rule and the full right to make all of one's own decisions. independent implies a standing alone; applied to a state it implies lack of connection with any other having power to interfere with its citizens, laws, or policies.

adverb

  1. in a free manner

  2. without charge

  3. with the wind more than six points from dead ahead

verb

  1. to cause to be free

  2. to relieve or rid of what restrains, confines, restricts, or embarrasses —often used with up

  3. disentangle, clear

free a person from debt

free release liberate emancipate manumit mean to set loose from restraint or constraint. free implies a usually permanent removal from whatever binds, confines, entangles, or oppresses. release suggests a setting loose from confinement, restraint, or a state of pressure or tension, often without implication of permanent liberation.