Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. An economy in which goods and services are exchanged in a free market, as opposed to a state-controlled or socialist economy; a capitalistic economy.
WordNet
n. an economy that relies chiefly on market forces to allocate goods and resources and to determine prices [syn: free enterprise, laissez-faire economy] [ant: non-market economy]
Wikipedia
A market economy is an economy in which decisions regarding investment, production, and distribution are based on market determined supply and demand, and prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. The major defining characteristic of a market economy is that investment decisions and the allocation of producer goods are mainly made by cooperative negotiation through markets. This is contrasted with a planned economy, where investment and production decisions are embodied in a plan of production established by a state or other body with control over economic resources.
Market economies can range from regulated markets to various forms of state-owned interventionist variants. In reality, market economies and free markets do not exist in "pure" form, since societies and governments all regulate them to varying degrees. Different perspectives exist as to how strong a role the government should have in both guiding and regulating the market economies and addressing (or not addressing) the inequalities the market naturally produces since some producers are always "better" than others. Most existing market economies include a degree of state economic planning or state-directed activity, and are thus classified as mixed economies. The term free-market economy is sometimes used synonymously with market economy.
Market economies do not logically presuppose the existence of private ownership of the means of production. A market economy can and often does consist of a mix of various types of cooperatives, collectives, or autonomous state agencies that acquire and exchange capital goods in capital markets. These all utilize a market determined free price system to allocate capital goods and labor. There are many variations of market socialism, some of which involve employee-owned enterprises based on self-management; as well as models that involve public ownership of the means of production where capital goods are allocated through markets.
Usage examples of "market economy".
The sugar companies say so, too: They just can't hack it in a free-market economy.
If nevertheless Brauksel, today a sober-minded man at home in a free-market economy, replies in the affirmative and insists on fire and steam, he will have to give his reasons.
If they couldn't have relied on government support, and had to compete in the free-market economy of their day, it's unlikely that any of the scientists on my list would have been able to do their groundbreaking research.
Once the LDP was the only choice for voters wanting a free-market economy.