free market
noun
plural free markets
: an economic system in which prices are based on competition among private businesses and are not controlled or regulated by a government : a market (see market entry 1 sense 4d) operating by free competition
… the free market works best when businesses compete to provide the best services …—
Chris Tomlinson
Chris TomlinsonA free market, technically, requires no government intervention, which is why capitalists usually land on the right of the political spectrum. In America, the government regulates businesses for reasons of social welfare and public safety …, so we don't operate in a truly free market.—Carolyn Twersky
—often hyphenated when used before another nounCarolyn Twerskyfree-market competition
free-market principles
One of the basic premises of the free-market system is that actors are free to buy from or sell to a variety of other actors.—Barry C. Lynn
Barry C. LynnExamples of free market in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Milei, who has led the country since December 2023, is now facing off against several threats to his free market movement, including the recent electoral successes of his Peronist rivals and a depletion of his country’s foreign reserves.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
But ultimately, bond traders are going to make up their own minds, giving us a bond market that adheres to free market dynamics.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
The emphasis on free markets picks up on a liberal strand and celebrates it.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Wood said that the Google is manipulating the market in a way that is antithetical to free market competition.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free market
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Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
But ultimately, bond traders are going to make up their own minds, giving us a bond market that adheres to free market dynamics.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
The emphasis on free markets picks up on a liberal strand and celebrates it.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Wood said that the Google is manipulating the market in a way that is antithetical to free market competition.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free market
Cite this Entry
“Free market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20market. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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