free trade

noun

: trade based on the unrestricted international exchange of goods with tariffs used only as a source of revenue

Examples of free trade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The rise of white-collar work made a college degree the expected path, and offshoring and free trade agreements through the turn of the century only accelerated that shift, leaving trade roles increasingly scarce. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

Meanwhile, Mexican economic officials have routinely traveled to Washington to bolster relations ahead of renegotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, free trade agreement. —ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Now that brokerage houses offer commission-free trades of many products, playing the market is a zero-sum game. —William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026

The irony here is that after spending decades lecturing China about the merits of free trade, the US is taking a page out of Beijing’s own state capitalist playbook. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for free trade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

free trade

noun

: trade between nations without restrictions (as high taxes on imports)