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
Fisher’s success enabled his founding of free market organizations Institute for Economic Affairs (UK), the Atlas Network (global), and also the Manhattan Institute.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
The shocks triggered by the pandemic and by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have exposed the flaws in relying on free markets alone to ensure safety and security.
—Katherine Tai, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2025
Kristie De Peña is the senior vice president for policy at the Niskanen Center, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that promotes policies that advance a free market and an effective government.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Yet in a truly free market, opponents say, consumers would have information, including about vendors’ past performance, to make purchasing decisions in their own best interests.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 31 Dec. 2024
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John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
The shocks triggered by the pandemic and by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have exposed the flaws in relying on free markets alone to ensure safety and security.
—Katherine Tai, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2025
Kristie De Peña is the senior vice president for policy at the Niskanen Center, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that promotes policies that advance a free market and an effective government.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
Yet in a truly free market, opponents say, consumers would have information, including about vendors’ past performance, to make purchasing decisions in their own best interests.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 31 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for free market
Dictionary Entries Near free market
Cite this Entry
“Free market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20market. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
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