free trader

noun

: one that practices or advocates free trade

Examples of free trader in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many of the Republicans who run both chambers on Capitol Hill would have called themselves free traders before Trump retook the White House. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026 Like most conservative economists at the time, Hassett was a staunch deficit hawk, an advocate of higher levels of immigration, and, above all else, an unabashed free trader. Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026 The free-trade agenda sought to deregulate the labor market and prioritize market efficiency, strengthening the hands of employers and severely weakening union and social movements, as anti-free traders had predicted. Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025 Despite his legacy as a free trader, U.S. President Ronald Reagan sought to stem the tide of American deindustrialization with 100 percent tariffs on certain Japanese products and import quotas to protect American industry. Wally Adeyemo, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for free trader

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free trader was in 1832

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Cite this Entry

“Free trader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20trader. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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