Standard Lemma guide

duty-free

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Exempt from duty, especially from customs duty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A duty-free article, especially part of the allowance of such goods allowed to be imported.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • We brought back so much duty-free we could hardly walk.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A shop where duty-free goods can be bought.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Have you been to Melbourne airport's duty-free?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

exempt from duty

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • duty-free liquor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English duty Proto-Indo-European *preyH- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *priHós Proto-Germanic *frijwaz Proto-West Germanic *friu Old English frēo Middle English -fre English -free English duty-free From duty + -free.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безмитен (bezmiten) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Chinese Mandarin: 免稅 /免税 (miǎnshuǐ) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Czech: bezcelní — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Danish: toldfri — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Dutch: belastingvrij — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Dutch: taxfree — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Esperanto: senimposta — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • French: hors taxe — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • German: zollfrei — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • German: abgabenfrei — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Greek: αδασμολόγητος (adasmológitos) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Hungarian: vámmentes — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Indonesian: bebas cukai — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Japanese: 免税 (menzei) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Japanese: デューティー・フリー (dyǔtī hurī) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Japanese: 無税 (muzei) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Korean: 면세 (myeonse) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Macedonian: бесцарински (bescarinski) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Mongolian: татваргүй (tatvargüj) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tollfri — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tollfri — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Pannonian Rusyn: безцарински (bezcarinski) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Polish: bezcłowy — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Polish: wolnocłowy — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Portuguese: isento de impostos — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Romanian: scutit de vamă — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Romanian: fără vamă — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Romanian: scutit de taxe — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Russian: беспо́шлинный (bespóšlinnyj) — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Spanish: sin arancel — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Swedish: tullfri — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Turkish: gümrüksüz — exempt from duty, especially customs
  • Dutch: taxfreewinkel — a shop where duty-free goods can be bought
  • Dutch: taxfreeshop — a shop where duty-free goods can be bought
  • Indonesian: bebas cukai — a shop where duty-free goods can be bought
  • Polish: sklep wolnocłowy — a shop where duty-free goods can be bought
  • Portuguese: duty-free — a shop where duty-free goods can be bought