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to free

to free

544 1.0
To release someone or something that is held
  • verb
  • /friː/
: 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 rid
vsto free
∞ 2.3

Make someone or something free of an unwanted thing

is about releasing from restraint or being stuck, not removing nuisances
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
638 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
226 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
202 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

is a neutral release act without the political or oppressive context
to cut loose
vsto free
  • Informal
106 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 unlock
vsto free
99 1.3

Make a skill, chance, or secret become available

covers release in many forms, not only by removing locks
to loose
vsto free
70 3.0

To let something go free or make it less tight

emphasizes freeing from being stuck or confined, not only loosening
to let loose
vsto free
47 3.8

Set something free from being held or controlled

is about releasing broadly, not necessarily sudden or forceful
to extricate
vsto free
21 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 emancipate
vsto free
  • Formal
19 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 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
7 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 disentangle
vsto free
4 5.8

To free a person or thing from a difficult situation

is the straightforward act of release from confinement or being stuck
to unshackle
vsto free
4 6.5

Free someone or something from limits and control

is a broader release concept without specifically stressing limits removal
to unstick
vsto free
3 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 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 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
1 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

120 3.2

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

111 4.2

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

Idioms

408 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
1 2.0

Available now and willing to have a short talk

To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them

Phrasal Verbs

260 2.4

You can do something without asking for permission or worrying

226 2.7

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

79 3.4

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

37 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
177 3.2

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

119 5.8

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

119 1.0

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

109 3.5

Buying and selling between countries without government taxes or limits

free agent
  • Jargon
84 3.9

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

Free World
  • Archaic
56 6.7

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

51 2.8

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

free ride
  • Informal
43 4.2

A benefit you get without paying or working

free zone
  • Specialized
39 4.1

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

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

free pass
  • Informal
37 4.2

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

35 1.0

Food you are given without paying

34 4.8

A person who follows their own way and ignores social rules

free lunch
  • Informal
31 4.2

Something offered without obvious cost but that often has hidden costs

free agency
  • Jargon
30 3.7

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

free press
  • Literature
28 3.0

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

28 1.0

A food or drink that contains no fat

free-for-all
  • Informal
23 6.2

A wild fight or argument with many people and no rules

free fall
  • Specialized
17 4.0

Movement of something downwards while only gravity pulls it

16 4.6

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

free software
  • Specialized
16 3.2

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

15 5.6

A chance to avoid punishment or trouble

14 3.4

A ticket that lets someone enter a place without paying

12 2.3

Not paying money to live in a house or room

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

free love
  • NSFW
12 6.5

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

11 4.1

Freedom to act and make choices without someone controlling you

free radical
  • Specialized
10 5.1

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

10 3.7

A person who sells their work to different companies or people without a long contract

9 6.3

A person who acts alone and does not follow group plans

9 4.1

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

8 7.2

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

8 5.3

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

7 3.4

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

free kick
  • Specialized
6 2.3

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

free state
  • Archaic
6 6.9

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

free energy
  • Specialized
5 6.3

Amount of energy in a system that can do work

free-and-easy
  • Informal
5 5.7

Relaxed and friendly without following strict rules

5 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 form
  • Specialized
4 6.5

A small part of language that can be a whole word

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

free verse
  • Literature
3 6.0

Poems that do not have regular rhyme or a steady beat

free association
  • Specialized
2 6.8

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

Supporting a system where private businesses compete with little government control

2 6.1

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

2 7.3

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

1 3.5

Does not contain the metal lead

free port
  • Specialized
1 4.1

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

free electron
  • Specialized
1 4.9

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

1 5.1

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

1 4.6

Able to fly freely after being released into the wild

free-living
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A living thing that lives on its own and not on another animal or plant

A way of keeping farm animals that lets them roam outdoors

free list
  • Specialized
1 4.4

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

1 4.1

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

free pardon
  • Formal
1 5.9

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

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

free grace
  • Formal
1 9.9

God gives kindness without being earned to save people

free-for-all
  • Jargon
1 4.1

A game mode where each player plays alone against all others

free burning
  • Specialized
1 8.3

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

free-soil
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Of states or territories in the United States that did not allow slavery before the Civil War

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

A former province in central South Africa settled by Dutch farmers, renamed Free State in 1997

1 3.7

Free mail delivery to people who live in the countryside

Marked rectangle near the basket where players stand during free throws

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

free-reed
  • Specialized
1 9.1

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

free-reed instrument
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A wind instrument that makes sound when air moves a thin reed, like an accordion or harmonica

free house
  • Jargon
1 4.9

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

free rhythm
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Music played without a regular beat so the timing flows freely

rent-free
  • Slang
1 8.2

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

A shot taken from the foul line after a foul by the other team

How Released

to emancipate
  • Formal
19 7.0
to liberate
202 4.3
to free
544 1.0
release
282 1.8
to restrain
233 4.6
to confine
111 4.2
to detain
  • Formal
197 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.