free of charge
39
1.2
- idiom
:
gratis
- As always, all citizens of Harmonia are welcome to these meetings free of charge.
- available free of charge
- provide free of charge
- offer free of charge
Second, the lottery was made secret, free of charge and open to all.
- Second, the lottery was made secret, free of charge and open to all.
- And he said, I'm coming anyhow, so I'm coming and join you free of charge.
- It's we got nothing but but great reviews for it can be found on all major audio streaming platforms free of charge.
- So if you have a story that is focused on has something to do with science, they'll provide sciences free of charge.
Examples
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Everybody gets the same tour free of charge.
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Miss Bonfils will now distribute some copies of our magazine, free of charge.
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By taking this online course free of charge, by the way, you can hit the ground running.
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You can have those free of charge.
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The city did this free of charge.
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If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you free of charge.
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The vaccines were provided free of charge to the study by local and state health departments.
Academic text (2008) -
Photographers of all levels are invited to enter the nature photography contest free of charge.
Academic text (1997) -
He offered to give me a full-body scan next week, free of charge.
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You can access all the online resources free of charge during the trial period.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not costing any money
450
1.0
Without paying any money
49
3.4
Free for customers or guests to have
2
6.3
You get it without paying any money
1
3.5
Free to get or use without paying
1
5.1
In a way that you do not have to pay money
An item or service that is given without payment
Antonyms
How Expensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'without having to pay' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'free' (provided without charge) combined with 'charge' (a payment), with 'of' linking them compositionally. This adjectival+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the component words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
The phrase free of charge comes from a simple image: a shop or service removes the charge (the cost) from the bill so the item is free for the customer. That's why it means 'without having to pay'.