freelance

noun free·lance \ ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: freelance in a Sentence

Definition of freelance

1 a usually free lance : a mercenary soldier especially of the Middle Ages : condottiere

b : 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

See freelance defined for kids

Recent Examples of freelance from the Web

When: June 21-24 Where: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., 2nd Floor, St. Charles Tickets: $17 adult; $12 youth Information: 630-587-8521; www.steelbeamtheatre.org Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

— kathy cichon, chicagotribune.com, "Youth theater presents 'Best of Broadway' show at Steel Beam," 14 June 2018
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

— logan malloy, Daily Southtown, "Simply marvelous: Marist's Marty Jepsen is the 2018 Daily Southtown Boys Volleyball Player of the Year," 14 June 2018
The others are John Gabbard, a Marine veteran and real estate developer; Costa Mesa resident Paul Martin, a freelance writer who also served as a Christian pastor; and Shastina Sandman, an entrepreneur.

— daily pilot staff, latimes.com, "Many eyes on Rohrabacher congressional seat as voters go to polls for primary races," 5 June 2018
In this op-ed, freelance writer Lara B. Sharp explains some of the lifelong educational struggles faced by former foster children.

— lara b. sharp, Teen Vogue, "Education Policy Needs to Catch Up to the Needs of Foster Care Youth," 5 June 2018
Ret Talbot is a freelance writer covering fisheries at the intersection of science and sustainability.

— National Geographic, "‘Holy Grail' Test for Illegal Cyanide-Caught Aquarium Fish May Be Fatally Flawed," 5 June 2018
Brucker, a freelance writer, said most of the citizens in the town are working-class or single women, such as herself.

— kaitlyn schallhorn, Fox News, "Georgia city sued by fed-up residents over 'ridiculous' fines for chipped paint, driveway cracks," 31 May 2018
Lynne Hasselman is a freelance writer from Ashland, Oregon.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Memorial Day 2018: Remembering two peace-loving Oregon boys who died in France," 28 May 2018
Her mother, who was based in Palo Alto, Calif., retired as a freelance writer there.

— New York Times, "Martha Rose, Alexander Lovell," 27 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Business Terms

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

freelance

adjective

Definition of freelance

1 a : of, relating to, or being a freelance : independent

a freelance writer

b : done by a freelance

freelance reviewing

2 : not sponsored by an organization

freelance terrorists

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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

Underrepresented groups face uphill battles of inclusion and visibility in major media newsrooms — in roles such as staff journalists, critics and assigned freelance writers — which are also historically dominated by white men.

— jen yamato, latimes.com, "Sundance and Toronto film festivals pledge increased access for underrepresented critics," 15 June 2018
Nathan Harris has been on both sides of the freelance economy.

— sarah hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "This platform connects emerging companies with vetted freelance talent to grow," 14 June 2018
Dan Fellner is a faculty associate at Arizona State University and freelance travel writer.

— dan fellner, azcentral, "Why Lubbock, TX, is hot: Texas Tech, Buddy Holly and wine," 13 June 2018
My first story appeared in the paper on Jan 21, 1973, a freelance travel story.

— rick kogan, chicagotribune.com, "Farewell to Tribune Tower: Friday we pack our boxes and depart what has been this newspaper's home," 8 June 2018
Bio: Philosopher, researcher, and freelance writer on technology and society.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "The internet was supposed to save democracy. I asked 4 tech optimists what went wrong.," 8 June 2018
According to a 2017 interview with Coveteur, the 30-year-old began her beauty career working at a local MAC Cosmetics store during her college years while also working freelance makeup jobs.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Colourpop Launches Spring Makeup Collection with MakeupShayla," 27 Apr. 2018
At least five people were injured in the melee, including a freelance news photographer.

— Fox News, "Social security protest leads to clashes in Nicaragua," 20 Apr. 2018
In 2003, freelance photographer Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death after being arrested for taking photographs outside the prison where the environmentalist died.

— cristina maza, Newsweek, "Who Is Kavous Seyed-Emami? Sons of Environmentalist Who Died Mysteriously in Iranian Prison Want Answers, Plead for Mother's Safety," 13 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of freelance

1891

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Business Terms

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

freelance

verb

Definition of freelance

freelanced; freelancing; freelances

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

In January, Rincon began freelancing with the Chronicle and Villager.

— staff reports, Houston Chronicle, "New reporter joins The Woodlands Villager," 1 June 2018
Faced with starvation, the population began freelancing outside the broken state system to survive.

— Bloomberg.com, "Why Doesn’t North Korea Want to Be More Like Its Neighbors?," 23 May 2018
The motion also said Phillips freelanced the dismissal offer without the authorization or knowledge of his supervisor, Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Rod Norgaard.

— darrell smith, sacbee, "DA vs. Noah Phillips: Office files motion against prosecutor running for DA seat | The Sacramento Bee," 11 May 2018
Zhang/Getty Images During several sessions, Messrs. Liu and Mr. Mnuchin met without others, leading to concerns among some industry groups that Mr. Mnuchin was trying to freelance a deal that would leave the U.S.-China trade relationship unchanged.

— bob davis, WSJ, "China Draws Up a Shopping List of American Goods to Avoid Trade War," 10 May 2018
Zadoorian had been freelancing for a year when the agency decided to hire him full time.

— ellen piligian, Detroit Free Press, "Ferndale novelist Michael Zadoorian gradually learning to savor success," 3 May 2018
Steyer’s largely freelancing effort is just one strain of a midterm cacophony where even tens of millions dollars in outside spending can get lost in the noise.

— Washington Post, "Hot potato: Dems shy from Steyer’s talk of impeaching Trump," 22 Apr. 2018
Patience and perseverance go a long way in the world of freelancing.

— micah iverson, USA TODAY, "How do you know when to go freelance full-time?," 20 Feb. 2018
Being a minimalist has helped me make the jump to freelancing full time and going all in on the things that excite me or bring me joy.

— mandy ferreira, Good Housekeeping, "Let Me Tell You What It’s Really Like To Be A Minimalist," 25 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of freelance

1902

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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