freelance

play

noun free·lance \ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s\

Definition of freelance

1a usually free lance : a mercenary soldier especially of the Middle Ages : condottiereb : a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization
2 : a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer

Recent Examples of freelance from the Web

Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

— caitlin mullen, chicagotribune.com, "Shout Out: Colleen McNichols, farmers market manager," 19 July 2017
Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Bail reduction bid denied in Merrillville shooting," 19 July 2017
Rodolfo Roman is a freelance writer and TV producer and reporter.

— posted jim varsallone, miamiherald, "The Roman Show on location in Thailand to talk, train Muay Thai," 17 July 2017
Contrary to claims from defenders of Mr Trump, a freelance bid by a junior Democratic operative to get dirt on Mr Manafort from the Ukrainians does not compare to this intrigue.

— The Economist, "The Trumps and RussiaWill Donald junior’s conduct jolt Republicans?," 15 July 2017
Brian Switek Brian is a freelance science writer and author of fossiliferous books such as My Beloved Brontosaurus.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Nothing but the Tooth," 10 July 2017
Rahim Thompson is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.

— rahim thompson, Post-Tribune, "Antonise Christian the Post-Tribune 2017 Girls Track Athlete of the Year," 5 July 2017
Online: womensmuseumca.org Sager is a freelance writer.

— rebekah sager, sandiegouniontribune.com, "‘Heroines in Arms’ exhibit spans from the Civil War to today," 5 July 2017
Rich Mayor is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.

— rich mayor, Naperville Sun, "Neuqua Valley's Griffin Harmer follows Ethan Hojnacki as Brine All-American," 4 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'freelance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of freelance

1819

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

freelance

adjective free·lance

Definition of freelance

1a : of, relating to, or being a freelance : independent a freelance writerb : done by a freelance freelance reviewing
2 : not sponsored by an organization freelance terrorists

freelance

adverb

See freelance defined for English-language learners

Examples of freelance in a Sentence

I wrote a freelance article for a nature magazine.

Recent Examples of freelance from the Web

The company already has a system in place to match doctors from certain specialties (including internal and emergency medicine) who are looking for freelance work with hospitals that need the extra manpower.

— Fortune, "Brainstorm Health Daily: July 11, 2017," 11 July 2017
Reach freelance restaurant critic Lindsey McClave at lindsey@foodie-girl.com.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "Meal time or not, Supermercado Guanajuato is worth a stop | Review," 5 July 2017
Worthy, a freelance makeup artist, wanted to create a destination where people of color can find an array of highlighter shades that would compliment their various skin tones.

— devon abelman, Allure, "Wvrthy Makes Highlighters Specifically for People of Color," 23 June 2017
The movie painstakingly lays out the nuances of the case by interviewing esteemed media reporters and freelance wrestling experts alike.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "Did Hulk Hogan Neuter the First Amendment?," 22 June 2017
Reach freelance restaurant critic Lindsey McClave at lindsey@foodie-girl.com.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "Wiltshire At The Speed should not be missed | Review," 21 June 2017
Independent since 2011, his three-person synch shop scored a record $6.3 million in revenue from clients including Google Pixel, Michelin, Honda, General Mills and more freelance work with Apple.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Billboard's 2017 Branding Power Players List Revealed, Led by Citi's Jennifer Breithaupt," 9 June 2017
Duckworth, a freelance dance choreographer, is one of the nonprofit organization’s many volunteers dedicated to providing theatre, performance, education, production and viewing experiences for Mooresville and surrounding communities.

— kate stevens, charlotteobserver, "Mooresville’s own children’s theater group gets the stage set," 4 June 2017
A freelance stint followed before Malkin continued his education with Harvard's prestigious Radcliffe Publishing Course.

— chris gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Veteran Entertainment Journalist Marc Malkin Exiting E! News," 1 June 2017

First Known Use of freelance

1891

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

freelance

verb free·lance

Definition of freelance

intransitive verb
: to act or work as a freelance
transitive verb
: to produce as a freelance freelancing magazine articles

Recent Examples of freelance from the Web

Spenser Mestel graduated from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program in May, 2016 and currently freelances out of Brooklyn.

— spenser mestel, Longreads, "After Marriage Equality, to Party, or to Protest?," 27 June 2017
Lisa Dickey started her writing career more than 20 years ago in Russia, freelancing for publications such as USA Today.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Author Lisa Dickey discusses her book about Russia, 'Bears in the Streets'," 25 June 2017
My fear is that a bunch of people were freelancing—

— mckay coppins, The Atlantic, "What Trump Really Fears," 5 June 2017
SWITCHING GEARS Barry left Unity in 2011 to return to freelancing, this time as an app developer.

— zach kyle, idahostatesman, "Now 26, Boisean dropped out of college and built multimillion-dollar company," 4 June 2017
But the hunch here is Rapp is best suited as the freelancing free safety, meaning the nickel spot is up for grabs come August.

— adam jude, The Seattle Times, "Four questions for UW Huskies defense this offseason," 12 May 2017
But Comey’s internal certitude has led the FBI official to freelance his positions at times.

— Washington Post, "FBI chief known for judgment calls is done in by turmoil," 10 May 2017
People who have done some freelance work in the past 12 months now make up approximately 35 percent of the US workforce, according to freelancing website Upwork and the Freelancers Union.

— schuyler velasco, The Christian Science Monitor, "Worker anxiety at 4.4 percent unemployment? It's about hidden volatility.," 5 May 2017
Roughly 55 million Americans freelance, and 25% report doing so full time, according to a 2016 survey by Upwork and the Freelancers Union.

— kelsey sheehy, USA TODAY, "3 keys to budgeting as a freelancer," 28 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of freelance

1902

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

FREELANCE Defined for English Language Learners

freelance

adjective

Definition of freelance for English Language Learners

: earning money by being hired to work on different jobs for short periods of time rather than by having a permanent job with one employer; also : done or produced by a freelance worker