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

South Africa’s fruit and nut exporters have benefited from the 26-year-old program that allows thousands of products from eligible sub-Saharan countries to enter the US market duty-free. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

The fallout from the European Union’s recent ending of its duty-free low-value imports threshold continues to impact air cargo flow into the bloc. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026

But even there, the traditional duty-free proposition is being challenged. — Kapila Ireland, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026

On one hand, the brand is positioning this as a special release for the duty-free market that should draw in consumers looking for something new; on the other hand, this could be seen as a testing ground. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for duty-free

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy