free trade
Americannoun
-
trade between countries, free from governmental restrictions or duties.
-
international trade free from protective duties and subject only to such tariffs as are needed for revenue.
-
the system, principles, or maintenance of such trade.
-
Chiefly Scot. smuggling.
noun
-
international trade that is free of such government interference as import quotas, export subsidies, protective tariffs, etc Compare protection
-
archaic illicit trade; smuggling
Other Word Forms
- free-trade adjective
- prefree-trade adjective
Etymology
Origin of free trade
First recorded in 1600–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A big focus will be making progress on a comprehensive free trade agreement with India, which has been discussed on-and-off for the last 15 years.
From BBC
Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint statement on Thursday that their countries would work towards pursuing a free trade agreement.
From BBC
Argentine senators voted 69-3 in favor of the agreement to create one of the world's biggest free trade zones, sealing its adoption days after it passed the lower house.
From Barron's
Carney was flying to India on Thursday to seek closer trade ties, as part of his strategy to backstop Canada's economy should free trade with the US collapse.
From Barron's
They highlighted progress towards a free trade agreement and expanding investment and innovation links -- from semiconductors and artificial intelligence to digital payments integration, including bringing India's UPI system into the Israeli market.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
