free market
noun
plural free markets
: an economic system in which prices are based on competition among private businesses and are not controlled or regulated by a government : a market (see market entry 1 sense 4d) operating by free competition
… the free market works best when businesses compete to provide the best services …—
Chris Tomlinson
Chris TomlinsonA free market, technically, requires no government intervention, which is why capitalists usually land on the right of the political spectrum. In America, the government regulates businesses for reasons of social welfare and public safety …, so we don't operate in a truly free market.—Carolyn Twersky
—often hyphenated when used before another nounCarolyn Twerskyfree-market competition
free-market principles
One of the basic premises of the free-market system is that actors are free to buy from or sell to a variety of other actors.—Barry C. Lynn
Barry C. LynnExamples of free market in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a result, a free market for good ideas to flourish into thriving businesses might be restored.
—Tim Clark, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Her exit is the latest fallout from the billionaire owner's directive that the Post narrow the topics covered by its opinion section to personal liberties and the free market.
—CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
Yet even on the Right, setting policy based on birth rates might have seemed strange a few years ago, when the Republican Party was best known for its libertarian emphasis on free markets and economic growth.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Mar. 2025
Catch up quick: Bezos ordered that the Post opinion section focus on personal liberties and free markets and not publish dissents on those areas.
—Jaden Amos, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free market
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Tim Clark, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Her exit is the latest fallout from the billionaire owner's directive that the Post narrow the topics covered by its opinion section to personal liberties and the free market.
—CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
Yet even on the Right, setting policy based on birth rates might have seemed strange a few years ago, when the Republican Party was best known for its libertarian emphasis on free markets and economic growth.
—Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Mar. 2025
Catch up quick: Bezos ordered that the Post opinion section focus on personal liberties and free markets and not publish dissents on those areas.
—Jaden Amos, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for free market
Cite this Entry
“Free market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20market. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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