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
While not every passenger is onboard to party, the cruise ferry features a show lounge, bars open late into the night and a sizable duty-free store.
—
David Nikel, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
But recent changes — which saw China grant 53 African nations duty-free access to its markets, as of June — have altered Beijing’s trade relationship with Africa.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And someone abroad can send a gift of $100 or less to the United States duty-free.
—Kayla Steinberg, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Many of the cheaper products that US customers like to buy used to fall under the de minimis exemption, which allowed items worth less than $800 to flow into the United States duty-free.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
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David Nikel, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
But recent changes — which saw China grant 53 African nations duty-free access to its markets, as of June — have altered Beijing’s trade relationship with Africa.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And someone abroad can send a gift of $100 or less to the United States duty-free.
—Kayla Steinberg, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2025
Many of the cheaper products that US customers like to buy used to fall under the de minimis exemption, which allowed items worth less than $800 to flow into the United States duty-free.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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