Meanings
- not comparablelawIn a condition of lawful outright ownership, without restrictions or encumbrances.
[T]hey cannot at once name a dozen in the town who own their farms free and clear.
1854, Henry David Thoreau, chapter 1, in Walden2 more examples
I have been trying to get a free and clear title to the land for a client of mine.
1905, Horatio Alger, chapter 21, in From Farm to FortuneThe will might stipulate, for example, that the heir receive the home, free and clear, Ms. Wheatley-Liss said, which may mean that the executor will be directed to sell stocks, bonds or other assets in the estate to pay off the mortgage.
2011 November 17, Vickie Elmer, “Inheriting a Home, and a Loan”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Jun 2014 - not comparablelawPossessing such lawful outright ownership.
I made the last payment on the house today. . . . We’re free and clear.
1949, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Requiem1 more example
Though standard in real estate transactions, the concept of title insurance, which guarantees that a seller is the free and clear owner, has been resisted by the art world.
2010 November 10, Kate Taylor, “Title Insurance Concept Spreads Into Art Sales”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Jun 2014
Translations
Arabic خَالٍ مِنْ
- خَالٍ مِنْ (ḵālin min)Translations
Spanish libre de cargas
- libre de cargasTranslations
Cite this entry
free and clear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20and%20clear
“free and clear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20and%20clear. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free and clear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20and%20clear.
Source: free and clear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.