duty-free
adjective or adverb
ˌdü-tē-ˈfrē 
ˌdyü-,
ˈd(y)ü-tē-ˌfrē
1
: without payment of customs duties : free from duties
imported duty-free
duty-free goods
2
: relating to or selling duty-free goods
a duty-free shop
Examples of duty-free in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Packages valued at less than $800 were long able to enter the U.S. duty-free via the de minimis exemption, which allowed e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu to flood the U.S. market with cheap shipments from China.
—
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 May 2025
For China, a 125 percent ad valorem tariff has been imposed on most imports as of April 9.
CBP has also confirmed that the previous exemption—which had allowed shipments valued under a certain threshold to enter duty-free—was revoked effective May 2.
—Tahar Rajab, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
As part of Trump’s tariffs, the president last week closed a trade loophole favorable to many online businesses that allowed shipments from China under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 8 May 2025
Last week, the Trump Administration also eliminated the de minimis trade exemption, which allowed low-cost items from online retailers, including Temu and Shein, to be shipped to the U.S. duty-free.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
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Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 May 2025
For China, a 125 percent ad valorem tariff has been imposed on most imports as of April 9.
CBP has also confirmed that the previous exemption—which had allowed shipments valued under a certain threshold to enter duty-free—was revoked effective May 2.
—Tahar Rajab, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
As part of Trump’s tariffs, the president last week closed a trade loophole favorable to many online businesses that allowed shipments from China under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 8 May 2025
Last week, the Trump Administration also eliminated the de minimis trade exemption, which allowed low-cost items from online retailers, including Temu and Shein, to be shipped to the U.S. duty-free.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
Cite this Entry
“Duty-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty-free. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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