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
In 2020, tens of thousands of Indian farmers had protested for more than a year after the Indian government introduced laws reducing government procurement and allowing in the free market.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 30 July 2025
The question is whether state intervention can solve the failure of the free market to address national security concerns in industries like rare earths, Danzman said.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 26 July 2025
From small business owners to Wall Street analysts, New York’s business community deserves better than a mayor who wants to punish success and the hard-working all while stifling the free market.
—Mike Dunleavy, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
The Townshend Revenue Acts, which taxed a variety of common imports in the 1770s and allowed the British Parliament to meddle with the free market, brought colonial unrest to a boiling point.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for free market
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Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 30 July 2025
The question is whether state intervention can solve the failure of the free market to address national security concerns in industries like rare earths, Danzman said.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 26 July 2025
From small business owners to Wall Street analysts, New York’s business community deserves better than a mayor who wants to punish success and the hard-working all while stifling the free market.
—Mike Dunleavy, New York Daily News, 14 July 2025
The Townshend Revenue Acts, which taxed a variety of common imports in the 1770s and allowed the British Parliament to meddle with the free market, brought colonial unrest to a boiling point.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 16 July 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 4 Aug. 2025.
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