to free
5
1.0
- 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
∞
1.5
To move something or someone away from a place
∞
2.3
Make someone or something free of an unwanted thing
∞
3.0
To free someone from something harmful or unwanted
∞
1.6
To remove or throw away something you do not want
∞
1.8
To let someone or something go free from being held
839
1.5
To remove people or things from a place
769
3.4
Remove or kill something completely so it is gone
226
2.7
To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave
202
4.3
Set someone free from prison or unfair control
146
3.2
To remove something unwanted from a place
135
4.8
Make a person or place free from unwanted feelings such as guilt
62
6.3
To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning
51
5.3
To stop being part of or connected to something
17
3.6
Remove people completely from a place or group because they are unwanted
3
3.9
To come away from something it was stuck to
1
6.2
To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely
1
9.9
To free a person or thing from an unwanted burden like debts
1
9.9
To free someone or something from a problem that makes things hard
Antonyms
Idioms
1
8.4
To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them
Phrasal Verbs
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
Compounds
- Formal
177
3.2
The right to say what you think in public without the government stopping you
- Archaic
56
6.7
Countries with non-communist governments that opposed the Soviet Union during the Cold War
- Specialized
39
4.1
An area near a port where companies store goods for export without paying customs duties
38
3.8
A system where private businesses compete and the market sets prices with little government control
- Informal
37
4.2
An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position
- Literature
28
3.0
News media that report independently and are not controlled by the government
- Specialized
16
3.2
A computer program with its code available that you can use, change, and share without paying
12
3.7
An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico
- NSFW
12
6.5
Sex between people who are not married, often part of a belief in sexual freedom
- 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
8
7.2
A belief in religious ideas based on reason and facts rather than on tradition or leaders
- Specialized
6
2.3
A kick given to a team after the other team breaks a rule, taken without nearby opponents
- Archaic
6
6.9
A state where laws did not allow people to own slaves before the American Civil War
5
3.9
A person who supports trade between countries without import taxes or other barriers
5
3.2
A way of eating that avoids foods with gluten for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance
- Specialized
2
6.8
A way of saying the first thought that comes to your mind to find hidden feelings
2
4.7
Supporting a system where private businesses compete with little government control
- Specialized
1
4.1
A part of a port where businesses bring, store, and send goods without paying taxes
- 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
- Specialized
1
6.4
A living thing that lives on its own and not on another animal or plant
- Formal
1
4.1
A way of running an economy that lets businesses compete with little government control
- Formal
1
5.9
An official act that forgives someone for a crime and ends their legal punishments
1
8.5
A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings
- Archaic
1
9.9
Of states or territories in the United States that did not allow slavery before the Civil War
1
8.1
A former province in central South Africa settled by Dutch farmers, renamed Free State in 1997
1
8.1
A former 19th century US party that opposed slavery spreading into western lands
- Specialized
1
9.1
A thin metal tongue that vibrates in a slot to make sound in harmonicas or accordions
- Specialized
1
7.9
A wind instrument that makes sound when air moves a thin reed, like an accordion or harmonica
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.