duty-free

adjective or adverb

ˌdü-tē-ˈfrē How to pronounce duty-free (audio)
ˌdyü-,
ˈd(y)ü-tē-ˌfrē
1
: without payment of customs duties : free from duties
imported duty-free
duty-free goods
2
: relating to or selling duty-free goods
a duty-free shop

Examples of duty-free in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The omission allows parcels valued less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. Brian Evans, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2025 Tax rates now range from zero (on certain exempted products, such as duty-free items from Canada and Mexico) to more than 100% (on many imports from China, among other trade targets). Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025 The return of the 737 MAX, Boeing’s best-selling model, is the latest sign of disruption to new aircraft deliveries from a breakdown in the aerospace industry’s decades-old duty-free status. Reuters, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2025 Under that rule shipments worth less than $800 could be imported duty-free and this loophole was crucial in enabling both to send low-cost online purchases direct to the customer without incurring additional levies. Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for duty-free

Word History

First Known Use

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of duty-free was in 1689

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Cite this Entry

“Duty-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty-free. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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