freely

adverb

free·​ly ˈfrē-lē How to pronounce freely (audio)
: in a free manner: such as
a
: of one's own accord
left home freely
b
: with freedom from external control
a freely elected government
c
: without restraint or reservation
spent freely on clothes
d
: without hindrance
a gate swinging freely
e
: not strictly following a model, convention, or rule
freely translated

Examples of freely in a Sentence

I will freely give my life for my country. the horse broke the halter rope quite freely
Recent Examples on the Web In fact, employers who made a point to freely give their workers due recognition reported a 9% productivity jump, a 22% decrease in safety incidents, and a 22% decrease in absenteeism, Fortune’s Amber Burton reported. Jane Thier, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023 Since the late 1800s, the Ballroom scene has provided a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community to express itself freely through performance, commentary and fashion. Kenyatta Victoria, Essence, 7 Sep. 2023 There’s a movement to make generative AI training shift into an opt-in model, where only work that is in the public domain or freely given goes into the data sets. Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2023 For Derry, affirmative action was a kind of protection that ensured campuses cared about diversity — and so the loss of that protection might now mean campuses can freely discriminate. Jessica Cheung, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023 Her face was covered for the photo op as her dark tresses hung freely. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023 Coup leaders said there would be a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time but that people would be allowed to move about freely today. Yves Laurent Goma and Sam Mednick The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2023 Chaos reigns, and jokes about bulimia, gray-area rape, and the emptiness of empowerment slogans fly as freely as the punches. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 25 Aug. 2023 After the deal, Peskov said that Prigozhin’s security had been guaranteed by Putin’s word, and the Wagner boss continued to travel freely in Russia and to Africa, disposing of some assets and preparing to expand his African operations. Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2023 See More

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

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of freely was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near freely

Cite this Entry

“Freely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freely. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.

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