freed up

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Made something such as time, money or space available for another use by removing what was occupying it.

   Grammar: Takes an object, which can come before up: freed up some time or freed some time up.

   Patterns

   • free something up
   • free up something for something

   Working from home freed up two hours a day that I used to spend commuting.

   The new software freed up space on the server.

   Selling the car freed up enough money for a deposit.

2. 2adjectiveafter a verbinformal

   Available again or no longer busy, occupied or blocked.

   Grammar: Used after be or get: my afternoon got freed up.

   Patterns

   • get freed up
   • be freed up

   Once the project was finished, my team was freed up to start something new.

   Let me know when you are freed up and we will talk.

   Her schedule was freed up after the meeting was cancelled.

Common combinations

freed up time

The freed up time allowed her to start a hobby.

freed up resources

The merger freed up resources for research.

freed up space

Deleting old files freed up space on my phone.

freed up cash

Lower rent freed up cash for savings.

get freed up

I will call you when I get freed up.

Synonyms and how they differ

released

Released is more general and can mean letting a person or animal go, while freed up focuses on making a resource usable.

cleared

Cleared stresses removing things in the way, as in cleared a space, and is less often used for time or money.

made available

Made available is more formal and neutral and sounds less conversational than freed up.

Opposites

Word family

free up verb

the base phrasal verb

free adjective

not occupied or not controlled

freedom noun

the state of being free

freeing adjective

giving a sense of release

Commonly confused: freed up or freed from?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “freed up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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