Free of meaning in English

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Definition

(a table) free of (objects): (a table) without, not containing any, empty of (objects) idiom
free of charge not costing any money
(a world) free from (pollution): (a world) without any (pollution) idiom

Examples

  • "DISCLAIMER: For safety reasons, participants are required to be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems. It is advisable to bring a spare pair of underpants."
  • "It's very important to keep the area around your computer clean and free of dust."
  • "Now we've come to realise that animals deserve the right to be treated fairly in a place free from discrimination."
Exercise 1
Bob says it is important to keep the area around the computer "free of dust".

Which of the following sentences uses "free" in the same sense as Bob's statement?
Bob says it is important to keep the area around the computer "free of dust".

Which of the following sentences uses "free" in the same sense as Bob's statement?
The term "free" here expresses a different meaning than Bob's statement in the dialogue. Here "free" means "gratis" or "without charge". This is one of the primary uses of the term "free".
The term "free" here expresses a different meaning than Bob's statement in the dialogue. Here, the phrasal verb "to set free" means to "liberate" or "give freedom". As an adjective, "free" can express this same sense: I am a free man, not a slave.
This is the best choice here. When Bob talks about the area being "free of dust" he simply means that the area shouldn't have any dust within it. In this sense, "free of dust" means "without dust" or "absent of dust". This idea of "free of dust" is identical to the idea of a "caffeine-free" soda, which is a drink without caffeine. "Dust" is very small particles that can cover surfaces.
The term "free" here expresses a different meaning than Bob's statement in the dialogue. Here it expresses the sense of "availability", and not the sense of "absence" as it does in Bob's statement.

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