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for free

for free

450 1.0
Without paying any money
  • idiom
  • /fɔr fri/
translation icon : gratis
  • You can access a wide range of online courses for free, enhancing your skills without any cost.
  • download for free
  • get for free
  • available for free

Go do it if you want things for free, FREE.

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Examples

  • You can download software on the Internet for free and do this.

  • Most importantly, it will be available for free at the Microsoft website, maybe late this summer.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Just send it to me for free please.

  • All of that is available online for free to you as well.

  • We'll get your first two months for free, so go check it out now.

  • Go check it out for free at askmh.com.

  • You can open a found account for free at found.com.

  • You can go and try this for free at askmh.com.

  • I can't believe you get to see the pictures every day for free.

  • Y'all can join the private podcast for free for seven days.

Synonyms

free
vsfor free
1.0

Not costing any money

is a neutral phrase focusing on not paying rather than tone or style
complimentary
vsfor free
49 3.4

Free for customers or guests to have

is simply about not paying, not about courtesy or gift intention
free of charge
vsfor free
39 1.2

You do not have to pay for it

is a casual alternative used commonly in speech rather than formal writing
gratis
vsfor free
2 6.3

You get it without paying any money

is the neutral spoken form rather than the formal or literary variant
costless
vsfor free
1 3.5

Free to get or use without paying

is the ordinary phrase for not paying, not a technical label
chargeless
vsfor free
3.2

An item or service that is given without payment

is the common, natural expression rather than the rare word choice

How Expensive

for free
450 1.0

Surface Forms

for free positive

Morphology

for + free

The meaning 'without needing to pay' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'for' with 'free' (free = without charge), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the phrase meaning. This is a common, compositional adverbial pattern in English (and paralleled in many languages), making it immediately comprehensible rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

The phrase for free comes from simple shop scenes: a shopkeeper would hand a product for a customer and say it is free, meaning no money is taken. So, for free means 'without needing to pay'.