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
The Biden administration also issued a business advisory for Uganda and removed the country from a special program that allows African products duty-free access to the United States.
—
Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Today, duty-free is a fundamental channel for luxury goods worldwide: In 2023, Dubai Duty Free, the largest operation of its kind in the world by sales, hit revenues of $2.16 billion.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Temu’s cheaper offerings have also led to lawmakers calling on the Biden administration to crack down on the number of packages from China that enter the country duty-free.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 21 Mar. 2024
The loophole allows $800 worth of parcels to be imported into the U.S. duty-free per person per day.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Mar. 2024
The answer has much to do with a trade rule known as the de minimis exception, which allows parcels valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free per person per day.
—Didi Tang, Fortune Asia, 4 Mar. 2024
Consumers and investors have less money to play with, investments are less attractive due to the lower returns, and duty-free has been flat since COVID; potential customers are few and far between.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Breaking down the commercial revenue streams at Spanish airports, the biggest gains came from specialty shops, for example fashion, with revenue up 48% to €134 million, followed by food and beverage (F&B), up 33% to €325 million, and duty-free up 23.5% to €411 million.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
The higher $800 threshold for duty-free treatment has strong backing from many in the business community.
—Kevin Freking The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Today, duty-free is a fundamental channel for luxury goods worldwide: In 2023, Dubai Duty Free, the largest operation of its kind in the world by sales, hit revenues of $2.16 billion.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2024
Temu’s cheaper offerings have also led to lawmakers calling on the Biden administration to crack down on the number of packages from China that enter the country duty-free.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 21 Mar. 2024
The loophole allows $800 worth of parcels to be imported into the U.S. duty-free per person per day.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 5 Mar. 2024
The answer has much to do with a trade rule known as the de minimis exception, which allows parcels valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free per person per day.
—Didi Tang, Fortune Asia, 4 Mar. 2024
Consumers and investors have less money to play with, investments are less attractive due to the lower returns, and duty-free has been flat since COVID; potential customers are few and far between.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Breaking down the commercial revenue streams at Spanish airports, the biggest gains came from specialty shops, for example fashion, with revenue up 48% to €134 million, followed by food and beverage (F&B), up 33% to €325 million, and duty-free up 23.5% to €411 million.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
The higher $800 threshold for duty-free treatment has strong backing from many in the business community.
—Kevin Freking The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'duty-free.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near duty-free
Cite this Entry
“Duty-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty-free. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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