free
1. free \'fre-\ aj or fre.er; or fre.est [ME, fr. OE fre-o; akin to OHG
fri- free, Gk prays gent]le 1a: having the legal and political rights of a
citizen 1b: enjoying civil and political liberty {~ citizens} 1c:
enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination 1d: not
dependent on others : SELF-RELIANT 2a: not determined by anything beyond
its own nature or being {a ~ agent} 2b: determined by the choice of the
actor or by his wishes {~ acti ons} 2c: made, done, or given voluntarily or
spontaneously : SPONTANEOUSM 3a: exempt, relieved, or released esp. from a
burdensome, noxious, or depl orable condition or obligation {~ from pain}
3b: not bound, confined, or detained by force {prisoner was now ~)> 4a:
having no trade restrictions {~ port} 4b: not subject to government
regulation of foreign exchange 4c: not subject to restriction or official
control 5: having no obligations (as to work) or commitments (as to duty
or custom ) {~ evening} 6: having a scope not restricted by qualification
{~ variable} 7a1: not obstructed or impeded : CLEAR {~ and open highway }
7a2: not being used or occupied {waved with his ~ hand} 7b: not hampered
or restricted in its normal operation : LOOSE 7c: allowed to be executed
without interference from the opposing side { ~ kick} 8a: not fastened {~
end of the rope} 8b: not confined to a particular position or place 8c:
capable of moving or turning in any direction {~ particle} 8d: performed
without apparatus {~ tumbling} 9a: not parsimonious {~ spending} 9b:
OUTSPOKEN 9c: availing oneself of something without stint 9d: FRANK, OPEN
9e: overly familiar or forward in action or attitude 9f: LICENTIOUS 10:
not costing or charging anything 11a: not united or combined with
something else : SEPARATED {@ ore} 11b: NATIVE {~ oxygen} 11c: not
permanently attached but able to move about of accent 11d: not occurring
on the same syllable in all words of a linguistic form 11e: capable of
being used alone with meaning {the word hats is a ~ form} 12a: not literal
or exact {~ translation} 12b: not restricted by or conforming to
conventional forms {~ skat ing} 13: FAVORABLE - used of a wind blowing from
a direction more than six points from straight ahead 14: not allowing
slavery 15: open to all comers n 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; SOVEREIGN
stresses the absence of a superior power and implies supremacy within a
thing's own domain or sphere; AUTONOMOUS stresses independence in matters
pertaining to self-government, but usu. implies at the same time a
recognition of sovereignty of a higher or central power in foreign
relations and policy - free.ly av SYN syn FREE, INDEPENDENT, SOVEREIGN,
AUTONOMOUS mea
2. free av 1: FREELY 2: without charge {admitted~} 3: with the wind more
than six points from dead ahead {sailing ~>
3. free vt or freed; or free.ing 1a: to cause to be free 1b: RELIEVE, RID
1c: DISENTANGLE, CLEAR obs 2: BANISH MIT, DISCHARGE mean to set loose
from restraint or constraint. FREE implies a usu. 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; LIBERATE
stresses particularly the resulting state of liberty; EMANCIPATE implies
the liberation of a person from subjection or domination; MANUMIT implies
emancipation from slavery; DISCHARGE may imply liberation or merely
ejection or emission from confinement or a containing that is not
necessarily restraint SYN syn FREE, RELEASE, LIBERATE, EMANCIPATE, MANU
Webster's English Dictionary