free of

free of — 形容詞

1. used to say that something does not contain a substance, quality, or element tha

1.形容詞B1
釋義

沒有；不含

表示沒有某種有害或討厭之物

used to say that something does not contain a substance, quality, or element that is harmful, unpleasant, or not wanted. The noun that follows names the thing that is absent.

例句

The Watanabe family checked that their drinking water was free of harmful chemicals.

Watanabe 一家人檢查了飲用水是否不含有害化學物質。

free of + noun phrase (harmful chemicals)

Dr. Okafor's report was refreshingly free of technical jargon.

Okafor 博士的報告非常淺白，完全沒有專業術語。

free of + abstract noun (jargon)

同義詞
  • without

    more general; 'free of' emphasises deliberate or notable absence

  • devoid of

    more formal and stronger in tone, often used in literary contexts

  • clear of

    focuses on removal of obstacles or physical objects

反義詞
  • full of

    direct opposite; indicates presence rather than absence

  • containing

    neutral opposite; states what is inside

文法句型

free of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Commonly followed by a noun referring to contaminants, defects, negative qualities, or unwanted elements. Frequent in product descriptions, environmental statements, and formal reports. The closely related phrase 'free from' is also used but 'free of' is more common for physical substances.

常見錯誤

❌The report was free of mistakes, so I had to correct several errors.
✅The report was free of mistakes, so I had nothing to fix.
💡The phrase claims absence, so the context must match — do not follow it with a sentence that contradicts the absence.

2. no longer physically connected, attached, or fixed to something; separate from a

2.形容詞B2
釋義

脫離；掙脫

不再與某物相連或固定在一起

no longer physically connected, attached, or fixed to something; separate from a surface, object, or structure that it was previously joined to.

例句

The old wooden gate finally swung free of its hinges after years of rust.

那扇舊木門歷經多年鏽蝕，終於從鉸鏈上鬆脫開來。

verb (swung) + free of + noun (hinges)

A young cyclist managed to work the chain free of the tangled gear mechanism.

一名年輕的自行車騎士設法將鍊條從糾結的齒輪機構中拉了出來。

verb phrase (work free of) + noun phrase

同義詞
  • clear of

    emphasises moving out of contact or danger; 'clear of the rocks'

  • separate from

    more general; does not imply previous attachment

  • detached from

    more formal; suggests deliberate removal

反義詞
  • attached to

    direct opposite; physically connected or joined

  • stuck to

    implies difficulty of separation

文法句型

[verb] + free of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often paired with verbs that describe movement away from something: 'break free of', 'pull free of', 'wrench free of', 'come free of'. The phrase usually follows the verb rather than preceding it. This sense expresses physical separation only, not figurative release from an obligation (which uses 'free from').

常見錯誤

❌The bird flew free of the cage' (when meaning it was released from captivity).
✅The bird flew free of the netting it had been tangled in.
💡Use 'free of' for physical entanglement; use 'free from' for captivity or obligation.