freelancer

noun

free·​lanc·​er ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)-sər 

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

Small business owners, gig workers, freelancers and early retirees are examples of those who turn to the ACA marketplace for insurance. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer. —Elizabeth Owens-Schiele, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026

Steele attached a link to an Undark Magazine story about Nautilus freelancers demanding $50,000 in unpaid commissions. —Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026

Held in person at its 455 5th Avenue location and online, the events are designed for small business entrepreneurs, start-ups, freelancers, designers, consultants and the industry-curious to attend. —Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for freelancer

• enhancer
• merganser
• romancer
• anser
• answer
• cancer
• dancer
• lancer
• anticancer
• necromancer