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free up

B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To make something available that was busy or being used before.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To make time available in your schedule by finishing or removing other commitments.

"If I cancel my afternoon meeting, it will free up two hours for the report."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 neutral

To release money, memory, or other resources so they can be used for something else.

"Deleting those old apps freed up a lot of storage on my phone."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 neutral

To release a person from a task or obligation so they can do something else.

"Hiring an assistant freed up the manager to focus on strategy."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Widely used in business, technology, and everyday contexts. Common in both British and American English. Often used with abstract nouns like 'time', 'space', 'memory', 'resources', or 'cash'.

Commonly used with

time space memory resources cash capacity

Forms

Base
free up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
frees up
he/she/it
Past simple
freed up
yesterday
Past participle
freed up
have + pp
-ing form
freeing up
continuous

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Synonyms

release make available clear open up liberate unblock

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