free trade

noun

: trade based on the unrestricted international exchange of goods with tariffs used only as a source of revenue

Examples of free trade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web No case for a free trade agreement can be made with statistics like these. Peter E. Harrell, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2024 At least 50% of the critical minerals in the battery must be extracted or processed in the U.S. or a country that has a free trade agreement with the U.S., or be recycled in North America. Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 The European Economic Area extended free trade to surrounding nonmember countries. Paul Lewis, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2023 Latin America also has a strong leg up through formal preferential trading ties, as a majority of all U.S. free trade agreements are with countries in the region. Shannon K. O’Neil, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Turk responded that the objective was to increase the percentages of minerals processed or extracted in the United States and free trade agreement countries, or recycled in North America, as quickly as possible. Marie Sapirie, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 But American lawmakers fear that Chinese carmakers will use factories in Mexico to avoid such tariffs, taking advantage of the North American free trade agreement. Steve Mollman, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2024 Where both parties once favored free trade agreements and spent decades expanding them around the globe, now neither party does. Peter Baker, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 In many cases, the argument for free trade is not about utopian theories of world peace. Dominic Pino, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'free trade.' 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

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free trade was in 1766

Dictionary Entries Near free trade

Cite this Entry

“Free trade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20trade. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

free trade

noun
: trade between nations without restrictions (as high taxes on imports)

More from Merriam-Webster on free trade

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