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
As of Friday, the Trump administration is ending a duty-free exemption on low-value imports from China.
—
Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025
The provision previously allowed Chinese ecommerce giants like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress, as well as American companies like Amazon, to send goods valued at less than $800 to US customers duty-free.
—Zeyi Yang, Wired News, 3 May 2025
The de minimis loophole allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the United States duty-free, often skipping time-consuming inspections and paperwork.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
At 12:01am on Friday, the trade exception (which has allowed shipments worth $800 or less to enter the country duty-free) was eliminated for packages coming from China.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
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Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025
The provision previously allowed Chinese ecommerce giants like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress, as well as American companies like Amazon, to send goods valued at less than $800 to US customers duty-free.
—Zeyi Yang, Wired News, 3 May 2025
The de minimis loophole allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the United States duty-free, often skipping time-consuming inspections and paperwork.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
At 12:01am on Friday, the trade exception (which has allowed shipments worth $800 or less to enter the country duty-free) was eliminated for packages coming from China.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 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 9 May. 2025.
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