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
That’s because earlier this month, a major shipping loophole, known as the de minimis exemption, which allowed shipments of goods worth $800 or less to come into the United States duty-free, expired.
—
Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
Global duty-free operator, Lagardère Travel Retail (LTR), has partnered with South African tourism company, Tourvest, to pursue travel retail opportunities across the African continent, starting with South Africa itself.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The elimination of the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed low-value packages to enter the U.S. duty-free, directly increases the cost of fast fashion items from major online retailers like Shein and Temu, heavily reliant on direct-to-consumer shipments from China.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Packages valued at less than $800 were long able to enter the U.S. duty-free via the de minimis exemption, which allowed e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu to flood the U.S. market with cheap shipments from China.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for duty-free
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Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
Global duty-free operator, Lagardère Travel Retail (LTR), has partnered with South African tourism company, Tourvest, to pursue travel retail opportunities across the African continent, starting with South Africa itself.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The elimination of the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed low-value packages to enter the U.S. duty-free, directly increases the cost of fast fashion items from major online retailers like Shein and Temu, heavily reliant on direct-to-consumer shipments from China.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Packages valued at less than $800 were long able to enter the U.S. duty-free via the de minimis exemption, which allowed e-commerce giants like Shein and Temu to flood the U.S. market with cheap shipments from China.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 May 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 4 Jun. 2025.
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