to free
- verb
- /friː/
- Nurse, you can free this bed.
Examples
-
Let's pull these two screws and then that should free it up so these snap together.
-
And it has freed up so much space.
-
We are still unable to free the control system.
-
You gotta free the switch in order to activate the sounds so that the shark is still interested in the ship.
-
I tried to free the clutch and got stuck.
-
Oh, hey, listen, I still have the chainsaw for another day if you want me to free up your van.
-
I use a soft toothbrush to help free particles from the grid since my garden hose has little pressure.
-
Larissa dutifully freed the yawl from its entanglement and pushed off into the water.
Fiction book (1992) -
Suddenly, one of the acrobats frees his bass drum and rolls it swiftly at Lemarchand.
Fiction book (1996) -
To clear the obstruction, you need to free the door from the rust that has built up over time.
Synonyms
To move something or someone away from a place
To free someone from something harmful or unwanted
To remove or throw away something you do not want
To let someone or something go free from being held
To remove people or things from a place
Remove or kill something completely so it is gone
To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave
To remove something unwanted from a place
Set someone free from prison or unfair control
Make someone or something free of an unwanted thing
To stop being part of or connected to something
Make a person or place free from unwanted feelings such as guilt
To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning
Remove people completely from a place or group because they are unwanted
To come away from something it was stuck to
To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely
To free a person or thing from an unwanted burden like debts
To free someone or something from a problem that makes things hard
Antonyms
Idioms
To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them
Phrasal Verbs
To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave
Have permission to leave a place where you were kept, usually after being arrested or accused
Compounds
- Formal
The right to say what you think in public without the government stopping you
- Archaic
Countries with non-communist governments that opposed the Soviet Union during the Cold War
A system where private businesses compete and the market sets prices with little government control
- Literature
News media that report independently and are not controlled by the government
- Informal
An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position
An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico
- Specialized
A computer program with its code available that you can use, change, and share without paying
- Specialized
A small unstable atom or molecule that can damage body cells by reacting with them
- NSFW
Sex between people who are not married, often part of a belief in sexual freedom
- Specialized
A kick given to a team after the other team breaks a rule, taken without nearby opponents
- Specialized
An area near a port where companies store goods for export without paying customs duties
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
Supporting a system where private businesses compete with little government control
- Formal
A way of running an economy that lets businesses compete with little government control
- Specialized
A part of a port where businesses bring, store, and send goods without paying taxes
Armed forces and political movement led by Charles de Gaulle who resisted German occupation in World War II
A belief in religious ideas based on reason and facts rather than on tradition or leaders
- Specialized
A way of saying the first thought that comes to your mind to find hidden feelings
- Specialized
An electron not attached to an atom that can move freely and carry electricity
- Specialized
A number used in brain and computer models to measure surprise and guide learning
- Archaic
A state where laws did not allow people to own slaves before the American Civil War
- Specialized
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
- Specialized
A number calculated from data that does not need the data's distribution to be known
- Specialized
A way a flower ovary holds the parts that make seeds on a central column without inner walls
- Specialized
A tiny part of the skin that sends signals about pain and temperature
- Formal
An official act that forgives someone for a crime and ends their legal punishments
- Specialized
A white blood cell that moves in the blood and eats germs or dead cells
A former 19th century US party that opposed slavery spreading into western lands
How Clear
Surface Forms
Etymology
Free when used to mean 'rid of something' comes from the basic idea of making someone 'not bound' by a problem or pest. So to free a room of ants or patients of pain is to remove that unwanted thing.