Word.ws English Dictionary

free roam

free roam noun: a game mode where players can explore the game environment at will, rather than following a fixed story line.

Noun

free roam (plural free roams)

  1. A game mode where players can explore the game environment at will, rather than following a fixed story line.
    • If players can wander freely about the video game environment at their own pace with no linear pathway, as in Grand Theft Auto, the game is referred to as a “sandbox” or “free roam” game.2011, Craig Haen, Engaging Boys in Treatment: Creative Approaches to the Therapy Process, →ISBN
    • This achievement can be acquired in multiple places in the world, both free roam mode and in story mode.2017, Hse Game, Lego Star Wars The Force Unleashed Wii U Unofficial Game Guide, →ISBN
  2. The right to move without restrictions throughout a specific locale.
    • Whether it's theft of sensitive electronic info or building plans, or passive security that allows free roams of your business, every bit of info that the bad guys can use to formulate attack against you should be safeguarded or properly disposed of.2008, Jack Wiles, Ted Claypoole, Phil Drake, Techno Security's Guide to Securing SCADA, →ISBN
    • The general said he had free roam of the city, he could move through the streets and no one could do anything.2011, Lance Wilson, Second Born, →ISBN, page 314
  3. A type of wireless service plan where there is no cost difference between on and off network usage.

Verb

free roam (third-person singular simple present free roams, present participle free roaming, simple past and past participle free roamed)

  1. To play in free roam mode.
    • After completing the initial London Story memory 'The Darkest Hour', you'll be able to free roam in WWI-era London and complete some additional associate tasks.2015, GamerGuides.com, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - Strategy Guide, →ISBN
  2. To move about or explore at will within a specified area.
    • For beginners in the natural dieting world, I don't generally recommend feeding your ferret openly where she free roams, although many people do it with great success.2011, Kim Schilling, Ferrets For Dummies, →ISBN, page 138
    • Part of me wants to continue along this path and the other part wants to free roam off the beaten trail and find my own way or die trying.2014, Jason Nachbaur, The Blue Recluse, →ISBN, page 121
  3. To allow animals the right to move freely within a large area.
    • They free roamed or ranged cattle from Ingalls or Cimarron, Kansas to Lamar, Colorado, and from the Arkansas River to the Cimarron River.2009, Ralph Morton, God, Kate, & I, →ISBN, page 214

Examples of free roam in a sentence

  • Gråtass was adopted, and is currently living with a rabbit companion with access to free roam of the house.2014, Marit Emilie Buseth, Richard Saunders, Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care, →ISBN, page 30:
  • Free-range eggs are those gathered from hens who have indoor quarters, but who are allowed free roam in the outdoors (though often in an enclosed or fenced area).2014, David Perlmutter, Grain Brain Cookbook, →ISBN:
  • Each participant was shown 7 websites and allowed to free roam a static image of the site for 30 seconds.2014, Aaron Marcus, Design, User Experience, and Usability, →ISBN:

Forms of free roam

Noun
pluralfree roams
alternative formfree-roam
Verb
third-person singular presentfree roams
present participlefree roaming
past participlefree roamed
pastfree roamed

Questions about free roam

What does free roam mean?
Free roam means a game mode where players can explore the game environment at will, rather than following a fixed story line.
How do you use free roam in a sentence?
Gråtass was adopted, and is currently living with a rabbit companion with access to free roam of the house.
What part of speech is free roam?
Free roam can be a noun or a verb.
What is the plural of free roam?
The plural of free roam is free roams.

Words near free roam in the dictionary

  1. free ride
  2. free rider
  3. free riders
  4. free rides
  5. free riding
  6. free roam
  7. free roamed
  8. free roaming
  9. free roams
  10. free rode
  11. free run

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: free roam (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “free roam.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/free_roam. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.