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to free

to free

337 1.0
To release someone or something that is held
  • verb
  • /friː/
translation icon : liberar
  • The rescue team worked tirelessly to free the trapped miners from the collapsed mine.
  • free prisoners
  • free slaves
  • free women

How many people can we free in our time here?

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Examples

  • First, we free the hostages.

  • You 'll need help to free your men.

  • How many people can we free in our time here?

  • And he also said we must free ourselves.

  • The prisoner cannot free himself or herself.

  • I came here to free all of the slaves, not one.

  • Once we're on the march, we'll free every slave in every town and village.

  • The only way out is to free your hand and ankle from the shackles.

  • The mining of shale gas in the United States freed up LNG shipments to Europe, depressing prices.

    Academic text (2011)
  • After hours of negotiation, the officials managed to free the hostages held by the armed group.

Synonyms

to release
vsto free
1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

focuses on releasing from physical or general restraint rather than other meanings
to let out
vsto free
344 1.1

Allow someone or something to leave a place

focuses on setting loose from restraint or being stuck rather than permission
to set free
vsto free
218 2.7

To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave

is the general act of releasing from confinement without extra legal tone
to liberate
vsto free
104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

is a neutral release act without the political or oppressive context
to rid
vsto free
98 2.3

Make someone or something free of an unwanted thing

is about releasing from restraint or being stuck, not removing nuisances
to unlock
vsto free
84 1.3

Make a skill, chance, or secret become available

covers release in many forms, not only by removing locks
to loose
vsto free
30 3.0

To let something go free or make it less tight

emphasizes freeing from being stuck or confined, not only loosening
to emancipate
vsto free
  • Formal
23 7.0

To set someone free from unfair control or rules so they have equal rights

is the everyday act of release, not necessarily tied to legal or social rights
to extricate
vsto free
22 7.6

Free a person or thing from something that traps them

is the plain act of setting free, not specifically careful removal from complexity
to cut loose
vsto free
  • Informal
18 4.4

To have fun and act without control, or to remove someone from their job

is mainly about removing physical or situational restraint rather than responsibility
to let loose
vsto free
13 3.8

Set something free from being held or controlled

is about releasing broadly, not necessarily sudden or forceful
to untangle
vsto free
12 4.9

To free someone from a difficult or confusing situation

focuses on direct physical or situational release rather than problem solving
to unchain
vsto free
6 4.1

Remove chains and other things that hold someone so they are free

means releasing generally, not only by removing heavy physical bonds
to unshackle
vsto free
5 6.5

Free someone or something from limits and control

is a broader release concept without specifically stressing limits removal
to disentangle
vsto free
3 5.8

To free a person or thing from a difficult situation

is the straightforward act of release from confinement or being stuck
to untether
vsto free
1 6.2

To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely

is the basic act of release, not specifically about ongoing limits
to unstick
vsto free
1 3.9

To come away from something it was stuck to

focuses on release from confinement or restraint beyond mere unsticking
to unloose
vsto free
  • Archaic
1 7.0

To make something less tight or set something free

is concentrated on freeing from confinement or being stuck specifically
to cast loose
vsto free
1 6.7

To free something by letting go of ties or limits

is broader, applying to release by various means not only unfastening
to unloosen
vsto free
  • Archaic
7.2

To make something less tight or free it from something holding it

is about full release from restraint or captivity, not just slackening

Antonyms

215 4.2

Keep someone or something within limits, for example in a small space

112 3.2

The act of taking control of another person or their land by force

Idioms

450 1.0

Without paying any money

You do not have to pay for it

scot-free
  • Informal
19 8.4

Not punished for doing something wrong

free to chat
  • Texting
2.0

Available now and willing to have a short talk

To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them

Phrasal Verbs

218 2.7

To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave

159 2.4

You can do something without asking for permission or worrying

71 3.4

Have permission to leave a place where you were kept, usually after being arrested or accused

18 4.5

To leave a court or prison without being punished

To escape limits or control and become independent

To make more room by removing or moving things

to free-associate
  • Specialized
2 8.0

To think of ideas and memories without planning

1 8.6

A thought that stays in your mind and bothers you

To get a free meal by asking or finding a chance to eat

Compounds

free speech
  • Formal
178 3.2

The right to say what you think in public without the government stopping you

117 1.0

A time when you are not working and can do things you enjoy

93 5.8

Ability to choose what you do without being controlled by outside forces

free agent
  • Jargon
80 3.9

A professional athlete not under contract who can sign with any team

57 3.5

Buying and selling between countries without government taxes or limits

50 2.8

A shot taken from the free-throw line without being blocked after a foul

Free World
  • Archaic
39 6.7

Countries with non-communist governments that opposed the Soviet Union during the Cold War

free ride
  • Informal
37 4.2

A benefit you get without paying or working

free agency
  • Jargon
30 3.7

A time when a player can sign with any team because they have no contract

A system where private businesses compete and the market sets prices with little government control

26 1.0

Food you are given without paying

23 4.8

A person who follows their own way and ignores social rules

22 1.0

A food or drink that contains no fat

free press
  • Literature
22 3.0

News media that report independently and are not controlled by the government

free pass
  • Informal
18 4.2

An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position

free lunch
  • Informal
17 4.2

Something offered without obvious cost but that often has hidden costs

15 4.1

Freedom to act and make choices without someone controlling you

An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico

11 3.4

A ticket that lets someone enter a place without paying

11 5.6

A chance to avoid punishment or trouble

free-for-all
  • Informal
10 6.2

A wild fight or argument with many people and no rules

free software
  • Specialized
9 3.2

A computer program with its code available that you can use, change, and share without paying

free radical
  • Specialized
8 5.1

A small unstable atom or molecule that can damage body cells by reacting with them

free love
  • NSFW
7 6.5

Sex between people who are not married, often part of a belief in sexual freedom

7 2.3

Not paying money to live in a house or room

free kick
  • Specialized
7 2.3

A kick given to a team after the other team breaks a rule, taken without nearby opponents

free fall
  • Specialized
6 4.0

Movement of something downwards while only gravity pulls it

6 4.6

A sudden large drop in value, often of stocks or prices

5 3.4

A heavy object like a dumbbell or barbell that you lift for exercise

5 4.1

The freedom to act or decide without being told what to do

free zone
  • Specialized
5 4.1

An area near a port where companies store goods for export without paying customs duties

4 6.3

A person who acts alone and does not follow group plans

4 3.9

A person who supports trade between countries without import taxes or other barriers

A way of eating that avoids foods with gluten for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance

free verse
  • Literature
3 6.0

Poems that do not have regular rhyme or a steady beat

free-and-easy
  • Informal
2 5.7

Relaxed and friendly without following strict rules

2 5.3

A work that does not follow fixed rules or structure

Supporting a system where private businesses compete with little government control

A chicken raised outdoors with space to move around and find food

1 4.1

A way of running an economy that lets businesses compete with little government control

free port
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A part of a port where businesses bring, store, and send goods without paying taxes

1 3.5

Does not contain the metal lead

1 5.1

Armed forces and political movement led by Charles de Gaulle who resisted German occupation in World War II

1 6.1

A province in central South Africa known for farming and wide open plains

1 7.2

A belief in religious ideas based on reason and facts rather than on tradition or leaders

1 5.3

Giving children freedom to explore and make choices with little adult help

free form
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A small part of language that can be a whole word

free association
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A way of saying the first thought that comes to your mind to find hidden feelings

free electron
  • Specialized
1 4.9

An electron not attached to an atom that can move freely and carry electricity

free energy
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Amount of energy in a system that can do work

free-for-all
  • Jargon
1 4.1

A game mode where each player plays alone against all others

rent-free
  • Slang
1 8.2

To stay in someone's mind when they do not want it

free grace
  • Formal
1 9.9

God gives kindness without being earned to save people

free house
  • Jargon
1 4.9

A pub not owned by a brewery that can sell beers from any supplier

free energy
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A number used in brain and computer models to measure surprise and guide learning

free state
  • Archaic
1 6.9

A state where laws did not allow people to own slaves before the American Civil War

free-reed
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A thin metal tongue that vibrates in a slot to make sound in harmonicas or accordions

A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings

A way of eating that avoids salt to help lower blood pressure

7.9

A number calculated from data that does not need the data's distribution to be known

free list
  • Specialized
4.4

A list of goods that do not have to pay import tax

A way of behaving in which a person enjoys many pleasures and expensive things

free burning
  • Specialized
8.3

A fire that keeps going in open air, often like an electric arc

9.0

A way a flower ovary holds the parts that make seeds on a central column without inner walls

free morpheme
  • Specialized
6.0

A part of language that can stand alone as a word

free nerve ending
  • Specialized
7.0

A tiny part of the skin that sends signals about pain and temperature

Marked rectangle near the basket where players stand during free throws

free pardon
  • Formal
5.9

An official act that forgives someone for a crime and ends their legal punishments

free phagocyte
  • Specialized
6.4

A white blood cell that moves in the blood and eats germs or dead cells

free rhythm
  • Specialized
7.7

Music played without a regular beat so the timing flows freely

A former 19th century US party that opposed slavery spreading into western lands

Able to fly freely after being released into the wild

free-liver
  • Archaic
9.8

A person who often eats and drinks a lot for pleasure without limits

How Released

to emancipate
  • Formal
23 7.0
to liberate
104 4.3
to free
337 1.0
release
279 1.8
to restrain
86 4.6
to confine
215 4.2
to detain
  • Formal
169 5.9

Surface Forms

free infinitive
freeing present participle
frees third person singular
freed past
freed past participle

Etymology

Free as a verb comes from the old idea of making someone 'not bound' or 'not in captivity', the action of letting them go. So to free someone is to release them from confinement or being stuck.