Tra từ free - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

free [free frees freed freeing freer freest] adjective, verb, adverb BrE [friː] NAmE [friː]
adjective (freerBrE [ˈfriːə(r)] ; NAmE [ˈfriːər] freestBrE [ˈfriːɪst] ; NAmE [ˈfriːɪst] )

NOT CONTROLLED
1. not under the control or in the power of sb else; able to do what you want
• I have no ambitions other than to have a happy life and be free.
• Students have a free choice of courses in their final year.
•~ to do sth You are free to come and go as you please.
• (informal)‘Can I use the phone?’ ‘Please, feel free (= of course you can use it).’
2. not restricted or controlled by anyone else; able to do or say what you want
• A true democracy complete with free speech and a free press was called for.
•the country's first free election
• They gave me free access to all the files.

NOT PRISONER
3. (of a person)not a prisoner or ↑slave
• He walked out of jail a free man.

ANIMAL/BIRD
4. not tied up or in a ↑cage
• The researchers set the birds free.

NO PAYMENT
5. costing nothing
• Admission is free.
•free samples/tickets/advice
• We're offering a fabulous free gift with each copy you buy.
•You can't expect people to work for free (= without payment).

NOT BLOCKED
6. clear; not blocked
• Ensure there is a free flow of air around the machine.

WITHOUT STH
7. ~ from/of sth not containing or affected by sth harmful or unpleasant
•free from difficulty/doubt/fear
•free from artificial colours and flavourings
• It was several weeks before he was completely free of pain.
8. -free (in adjectives)without the thing mentioned
•virtually fat-free yogurt
•tax-free earnings
•a trouble-free life

NOT ATTACHED/TRAPPED
9. ~ (of sth) not attached to sth or trapped by sth
• Pull gently on the free end of the rope.
• They had to be cut free from their car after the accident.
•She finally managed to pull herself free.

NOT BEING USED
10. not being used
• He held out his free hand and I took it.
• Is this seat free?

NOT BUSY
11. ~ (for sth) (of a person or time)without particular plans or arrangements; not busy
• If Sarah is free for lunch I'll take her out.
• Keep Friday night free for my party.
•What do you like to do in your free time (= when you are not working)?

READY TO GIVE
12. ~ with sth (often disapproving)ready to give sth, especially when it is not wanted
•He's too free with his opinions.

TRANSLATION
13. a free translation is not exact but gives the general meaning
compare ↑literal
more at be home free at ↑home _adv., give/allow sb/sth free/full reingive/allow free/full rein to sth at ↑rein _n.

Word Origin:
Old English frēo (adjective), frēon (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vrij and German frei, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by ↑friend.

Thesaurus:
free adj.
1.
•He set the horses free.
loose • • at large •
Opp: captive
set sb/sth free/loose
break/get/run free/loose
remain free/loose/at large
2.
•Admission is free.
complimentary • • free of charge • • for nothing •
a free/complimentary ticket/sample/copy/subscription
get sth free/free of charge/for nothing
3.
•Is this seat free?
empty • • vacant • • unoccupied • • available •
Opp: taken, Opp: engaged
a/an free/empty/vacant/unoccupied seat
4.
•Are you free for lunch?
available • • spare •
Opp: unavailable, Opp: busy
free/available for sth
free/available to do sth
free/available/spare time
a free/spare morning/afternoon/weekend/moment

Example Bank:
•At last he's totally free from pain.
•He said he would let the prisoners go free.
•He was trapped by his leg, but his rescuers cut him free.
•She managed to pull free of her attacker.
•She walked free from jail.
•The birds were set free.
•The exhibition is free for children under ten.
•The government wants to leave companies free to make their own decisions.
•The hospital needs to keep some beds free for emergencies.
•The organization wants to remain free from government control.
•The ship broke free from its moorings.
•The students are entirely free to choose their own courses.
•They let their prisoner free.
•They tied him up but he managed to get free.
•This attractive poster comes free with the magazine.
•We might be able to get some plants for free.
•We try and keep Sundays free.
•We will send you our booklet free of charge.
•We've managed to keep the garden free of weeds this year.
•animals roaming free across the plains
•‘Can I use the phone?’ ‘Please, feel free.
•He subdues one of the wild horses and then allows it to go free.
•He walked out of jail a free man.
•If Sarah is free for lunch I'll take her out.
•If you can't find a seat that's free, you'll have to stand.
•Students have a free choice of classes in their final year.
•The device allows you to talk on the phone with both hands free.
•The protesters set the animals free.
•There's a new website that offers free legal advice to homeowners.
•What do you like to do in your free time?
•You can't expect people to work for free.
•the country's first free election
Idioms: ↑free and easy ▪ get/have a free hand ▪ get/take a free ride ▪ ↑it's a free country ▪ ↑make free with something ▪ ↑run free ▪ ↑there's no such thing as a free lunch

verb

PRISONER
1. ~ sb (from sth) to allow sb to leave prison or somewhere they have been kept against their will
Syn: ↑release
• By the end of May nearly 100 of an estimated 2 000 political prisoners had been freed.
• The hijackers agreed to free a further ten hostages.
•The starting point for emancipation was the freeing of children of slaves born after a certain date.

SB/STH TRAPPED
2. ~ sb/sth/yourself (from sth) to move sb/sth that is caught or fixed on sth
Syn: ↑release
• Three people were freed from the wreckage.
• She struggled to free herself.
•A good kick finally freed the door.
•He managed to free his arms from their bonds.

REMOVE STH
3. ~ sb/sth of/from sb/sth to remove sth that is unpleasant or not wanted from sb/sth
Syn: ↑rid
• These exercises help free the body of tension.
• The police are determined to free the town of violent crime.
•The centre aims to free young people from dependency on drugs.

MAKE AVAILABLE
4. ~ sb/sth (up) to make sb/sth available for a particular purpose
•We freed time each week for a project meeting.
•The government has promised to free up more resources for education.
5. ~ sb to do sth to give sb the extra time to do sth that they want to do
•Winning the prize freed him to paint full-time.
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English frēo (adjective), frēon (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vrij and German frei, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by ↑friend.

Thesaurus:
free verb
1. T
•Ten prisoners were freed today.
release • • set sb/sth free • • let sb go • • liberate • • let sb/sth loose • • ransom • |formal emancipate •
Opp: capture, Opp: imprison
free/release/set free/liberate/emancipate sb from sth
free/release/set free/let go/liberate/ransom a prisoner/hostage
free/release sb on bail
Free, release or set free? Free emphasizes the decision to let sb go. Release emphasizes the physical act of letting sb go; set free also emphasizes this, especially where force, not authority, is used
•The woman was freed by the Appeal Court this morning.
• They were interrogated before being released.
• The rioters stormed the prison and set all the prisoners free.
2. T
•Two men were freed from the wreckage.
release • • disentangle • • cut • |formal disengage • |especially spoken let (sb/sth) go •
Opp: trap
free/release/disentangle/cut/disengage sb/sth from sth
free/release/disentangle/disengage yourself from sth
free/release/disentangle/disengage/let go of your/sb's arm/hand
3. T (always used with of or from)
•These exercises help free the body of tension.
formal rid • • purge •
free/rid/purge sb/sth/yourself of sth
free/purge sb/sth from sth
free/rid/purge yourself of sb/sth
Free or rid? Free emphasizes the good feeling that follows when you remove sth; rid emphasizes how unpleasant that thing was.

Example Bank:
•He had finally been freed of his responsibilities.
•She struggled to free herself from his grip.
•The court ruled that he should be freed on bail of $50 000.
•They succeeded in freeing their friends from prison.
•Counselling may help you to free yourself from the past.
•If the tax is lifted the government will be freed from its obligation to buy goods from those countries.
•Over 2 000 political prisoners were freed as a gesture of good will.
•The system freed teachers from the constraints of the old curriculum.
•The woman was freed by the Appeal Court this morning.
•They're launching a campaign to free the three men.
•We aim to free young people from dependency on drugs.

adverb

WITHOUT PAYMENT
1. (also ˌfree of ˈcharge)without payment
• Children under five travel free.

NOT TRAPPED
2. away from or out of a position in which sb/sth is stuck or trapped
• The wagon broke free from the train.
see also ↑scot-free
more at walk free at ↑walk _v.

Word Origin:
Old English frēo (adjective), frēon (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vrij and German frei, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’, shared by ↑friend.