freelancer

noun

free·​lanc·​er ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)-sər How to pronounce freelancer (audio)
plural freelancers
1
: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelance sense 1
hired a freelancer to write the article
… there were hundreds of photographers on the scene, some on assignment, some freelancers, most of them amateurs.Garrison Keillor
But while Renzo is the ultimate company man, a lifetime employee who reports to the same office every morning, Riccardo is the prototypical freelancer, a peripatetic problem-solver with five-dozen clients.Bruce Schoenfeld
2
: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization : freelance sense 2b
[Anthony] Grafton contrasts public intellectuals outside and inside the universities, and he takes note of today's nostalgia for the freethinkers who lived and wrote independently of deans and classrooms. But it is good to be reminded that in that golden era of freelancers such as Wilson, H. L. Mencken, and Mary McCarthy, voices like theirs were also raised in universities.G. W. Bowersock

Examples of freelancer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fueled by Cuban coffee Rodríguez has done his most significant work as a freelancer. Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Although millions of workers in the U.S. are turning to freelancing as an alternative career path to the traditional employment route, approximately 59% of freelancers are living pay check to pay check according to Zippia. Rachel Wells, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The piece, which was written by a Pulitzer Prize-winner and two Israeli freelancers with very little journalism experience, has since come under scrutiny. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 29 Feb. 2024 Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press. Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024 The pair of freelancers, Hamza Al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, reportedly died following an airstrike on a car in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Justin Klawans, theweek, 7 Jan. 2024 Best for freelancers Fiverr is an app designed to connect a variety of entrepreneurs and businesses with freelancers. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2024 Uber can’t just force all its drivers to make the switch without jeopardizing their status as freelancers. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2024 The money owed to freelancers and vendors is expected to balloon out to seven figures, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freelancer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of freelancer was in 1924

Dictionary Entries Near freelancer

Cite this Entry

“Freelancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freelancer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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