duty-free
adjective or adverb
ˌdü-tē-ˈfrē 
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
Most of those goods are imported duty-free under a nearly century-old trade loophole.
—
Brian Slodysko, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
The nearly century-old exception, known as de minimis, has been used by many e-commerce companies to send goods worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free, creating a competitive advantage.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump delayed ending the trade loophole that allows low-value packages to arrive duty-free from China on Friday, meaning the products can continue to enter the U.S. without tariffs—for now.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
Now, duty-free treatment is once again available for China’s direct-to-consumer shipments worth $800 or less.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for duty-free 
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Brian Slodysko, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
The nearly century-old exception, known as de minimis, has been used by many e-commerce companies to send goods worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free, creating a competitive advantage.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump delayed ending the trade loophole that allows low-value packages to arrive duty-free from China on Friday, meaning the products can continue to enter the U.S. without tariffs—for now.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
Now, duty-free treatment is once again available for China’s direct-to-consumer shipments worth $800 or less.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for duty-free
Dictionary Entries Near duty-free
Cite this Entry
“Duty-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty-free. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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