Free

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Free means two different things. If what is called "free" is something that is not alive, that means that it is being given away by someone who does not want any money in return. Often things that are "free" in this way are given away as add-ons to something that is paid for. For example, an eating place may give away a free glass of water with a paid meal.

If what is called "free" is a person, that means that it is able to be what it wants to be, or to do what it wants to do, without being ordered around.

Most people want to be free. But many strong people would like to order around people who are weaker than they are. This leads to many fights.

Some countries have laws that try to keep the strong people from pushing around other people too much. These countries are called "free countries."

Animals other than people can fall into both definitions of freedom. Maybe a neighbor has a cat who has just given birth to a group of kittens, and so she will try to give away her "free kittens." That is the first kind of freedom listed above. But if one of the free kittens finds a good home, is fed well, and grows up into a cat, then maybe one day the cat will wander "freely" around its house and yard. That is the second kind of freedom.