Free State

noun

1. U.S. History. (before the Civil War) a state in which slavery was prohibited.
2. Irish Free State.

Free State

noun

1. a province of central South Africa; replaced the former province of Orange Free State in 1994: gold and uranium mining. Capital: Bloemfontein. Pop: 2 950 661 (2004 est). Area: 129 480 sq km (49 992 sq miles)
2. history (before the Civil War) any state prohibiting slavery
3. short for Irish Free State

Word History and Origins

Origin of Free State¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

The Free State evolved decades later into an economically troubled but otherwise stable Republic.

From The Daily Beast

His stated goal was to create an all-white “Carolina Free State.”

From The Daily Beast

His 1971 Booker Prize-winning book, In a Free State, slips in and out of different genres—the novel, autobiography, documentary.

From The Daily Beast

Czapek says: "The well-known methyl pentoses do not occur in the free state in plant organisms so far as we know."

From Project Gutenberg

In their free state they are extremely wild, and remain constantly in the woods.

From Project Gutenberg

The Free State preponderance among settlers constantly increased.

From Project Gutenberg

Nearly all the clearing, plowing, and planting was done by Free State men.

From Project Gutenberg

Kansas, according to Greeley's expressive phrase, "was steadily hardening into the bone and sinew of a Free State."

From Project Gutenberg