Meanings
- uncountablecomputingSoftware that can be freely copied, redistributed and modified, including source code; software that is libre.
[Richard Stallman's] work inspired many others to contribute free software under the GPL.
1999, Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman, Mark Stone, editors, Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution, O'Reilly Media, page 1731 more example
Simply put, Free Software is software that you can use, modify, and share with virtually no restrictions. Although it's often distributed free of charge—occasionally referred to as “free as in beer”—Free Software is not to be confused with “freeware.”
2010, Jason van Gumster, Robert Shimonski, GIMP Bible, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 4Synonyms: libre software, libreware, freedomware · Antonyms: proprietary software, non-free software
- uncountablecomputingAny software that is free of charge, such as freeware.
At the very least, good free software can reduce the total cost of entering the microworld. But it may also enable you to equip your system with more memory, more power, and more peripherals than you could afford if you had to sink hundreds of dollars into commercial programs.
1984, Alfred Glossbrenner, How to Get Free Software […] , St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page xviSynonyms: freeware
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSoftware that can be freely copied, redistributed and modified, including source code; software that is libre.
nounAny software that is free of charge, such as freeware.
Translations
Arabic بَرْمَجِيَّات حُرَّة
- بَرْمَجِيَّات حُرَّة (barmajiyyāt ḥurra)software that can be freely copied and modified
Bulgarian свобо́ден со́фтуер
- свобо́ден со́фтуер (svobóden sóftuer)software that can be freely copied and modified
Catalan programari lliure
- programari lliuresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Chinese Mandarin 自由軟件 /自由软件, 自由軟體 /自由软体
- 自由軟件 /自由软件 (zìyóu ruǎnjiàn)software that can be freely copied and modified
- 自由軟體 /自由软体 (zìyóu ruǎntǐ)software that can be freely copied and modified
Dutch vrije software
- vrije softwaresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Esperanto libera programaro
- libera programarosoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Finnish vapaa ohjelmisto
- vapaa ohjelmistosoftware that can be freely copied and modified
French logiciel libre
- logiciel libresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
German freie Software
- freie Softwaresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Greek ελεύθερο λογισμικό
- ελεύθερο λογισμικό (eléfthero logismikó)software that can be freely copied and modified
Hebrew תכנה חופשית
- תכנה חופשית (tokhna khofshit)software that can be freely copied and modified
Hungarian szabad szoftver
- szabad szoftversoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Indonesian peranti bebas
- peranti bebassoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Italian software libero
- software liberosoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Japanese フリーソフトウェア, 自由ソフトウェア
- フリーソフトウェア (furī sofutowea)software that can be freely copied and modified
- 自由ソフトウェア (jiyū sofutowea)software that can be freely copied and modified
Korean 자유 소프트웨어
- 자유 소프트웨어 (jayu sopeuteuweeo)software that can be freely copied and modified
Latvian brīva programmatūra
- brīva programmatūrasoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Lithuanian laisva programinė įranga
- laisva programinė įrangasoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Malay perisian bebas
- perisian bebassoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Norwegian fri programvare
- fri programvaresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Persian نرمافزار آزاد
- نرمافزار آزادsoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Polish wolne oprogramowanie
- wolne oprogramowaniesoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Portuguese software livre
- software livresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Romanian software liber
- software libersoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Russian свобо́дное програ́ммное обеспече́ние, свобо́дный софт
- свобо́дное програ́ммное обеспече́ние (svobódnoje prográmmnoje obespečénije)software that can be freely copied and modified
- свобо́дный софт (svobódnyj soft)software that can be freely copied and modified
- СПО (SPO)software that can be freely copied and modified
- свободные программы (svobodnyje programmy)software that can be freely copied and modified
Scottish Gaelic bathar-bog saor
- bathar-bog saorsoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Slovak slobodný softvér
- slobodný softvérsoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Spanish software libre
- software libresoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Swedish fri programvara
- fri programvarasoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Tamil கட்டறு மென்பொருள்
- கட்டறு மென்பொருள் (kaṭṭaṟu meṉporuḷ)software that can be freely copied and modified
Turkish hür yazılım, özgür yazılım
- hür yazılımsoftware that can be freely copied and modified
- özgür yazılımsoftware that can be freely copied and modified
Cite this entry
free software. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20software
“free software.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20software. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free software,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20software.
Source: free software on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.