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
Under that trade exemption, e-commerce companies with factories and warehouses outside the U.S. could send a package with fewer than $800 worth of goods into the country duty-free.
—
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Apr. 2025
And Trump eliminated the de minimis provision — which allows packages worth less than $800 to enter the country duty-free — starting May 2 for goods from China and Hong Kong.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
International trade: Most avocado imports to be duty-free after Mexico misses brunt of Trump's tariff orders
Mexico, which ships nearly 80% of its exports to the United States, was not included on Trump's list of global, across-the-board tariffs announced on nations last week.
—Raul Cortes, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
It’s been used at a massive scale in recent years: The number of small, duty-free shipments from China increased by 1,145% from 2018 to 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
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Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Apr. 2025
And Trump eliminated the de minimis provision — which allows packages worth less than $800 to enter the country duty-free — starting May 2 for goods from China and Hong Kong.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
International trade: Most avocado imports to be duty-free after Mexico misses brunt of Trump's tariff orders
Mexico, which ships nearly 80% of its exports to the United States, was not included on Trump's list of global, across-the-board tariffs announced on nations last week.
—Raul Cortes, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
It’s been used at a massive scale in recent years: The number of small, duty-free shipments from China increased by 1,145% from 2018 to 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
Cite this Entry
“Duty-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/duty-free. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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