freelance

noun

free·lance | \ ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s

Definition of freelance

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a 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

freelance

adjective

Definition of freelance (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : 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

freelance

verb

freelanced; freelancing; freelances

Definition of freelance (Entry 3 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to act or work as a freelance

transitive verb

: to produce as a freelance freelancing magazine articles

Other Words from freelance More Example Sentences Learn More about freelance

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Examples of freelance in a Sentence

Adjective

I wrote a freelance article for a nature magazine.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There was also a template for my biggest struggle—to-do lists—complete with a suggestion for how to map out my days as a freelance writer. — Gia Miller, SELF, "Hiring a Coach for My ADHD Transformed My Life and Productivity," 27 Mar. 2019 Last week, some tech fans became concerned after freelance writer Markham Heid published an article on Medium that examined the safety of AirPods and similar wireless Bluetooth headphones. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Can AirPods and Other Wireless Headphones Really Cause Cancer?," 17 Mar. 2019 But at 52 and single, the stress of trying to care for them and keep my freelance journalism career going, while living virtually without privacy, is overwhelming. — Jill Gleeson, Good Housekeeping, "I Don’t Need Meditation Apps. I Need Real, Genuine Solitude.," 14 Jan. 2019 Tinker himself hires his freelance crews of penetration testers mainly from meet-up participants. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Want to Be A Hacker? Go to Dallas.," 4 Dec. 2018 Erica Turer is a freelance touring merchandise manager, and this summer her gig is the Warped Tour. — Chris Varias, Cincinnati.com, "10 not-to-miss bands at final Vans Warped Tour," 11 July 2018 The study was conducted online within the United States between June 22-25, 2018 among 2,169 U.S. adults, aged 18 and higher, who identified themselves as full-time permanent employed, full-time self-employed, or freelance. — Rachel King, Fortune, "This Is the Number One Reason Why People Don't Unplug From Work While on Vacation," 11 July 2018 Saiia said a freelance artist can make between $60,000 and $80,000 per year. — Andy Rosen, BostonGlobe.com, "Quick on the draw: Companies use live illustrators to spice up presentations," 10 July 2018 Entirely self-taught, Cannon gradually built a portfolio as a freelance artist and graphic designer. — Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Stellaluna' author and artist celebrates 25th anniversary with exhibit," 1 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Optimists cheered the flexibility offered by the freelance life. — Ben Casselman, New York Times, "Maybe the Gig Economy Isn’t Reshaping Work After All," 7 June 2018 In August, a union representing freelance journalists, National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981, passed a resolution in support of Mr. Goldberg, who is a member. — Jonathan Randles, WSJ, "Gizmodo Media Group Settles Defamation Lawsuits Led by Charles Harder," 18 Jan. 2019 Miriam Berger is freelance journalist with a focus on people, politics, and policy in the Middle East. — Miriam Berger, Vox, "Why innovative tech startups are thriving across the Middle East," 1 Oct. 2018 Marianne Garvey is a former reporter and television host turned freelance editor and writer who covers pop culture, news, relationships, Real Housewives, parenting, food, and all things celebrity. — Marianne Garvey, Good Housekeeping, "My Mother Died Before My Baby Was Born, But My Daughter Will Still Know Her," 13 Dec. 2018 Amazon isn’t the only company using freelance labor for its own gain. — Gaby Del Valle, Vox, "Amazon is cutting costs with its own delivery service — but its drivers don’t receive benefits," 26 Dec. 2018 Sites like Demand Studios and Associated Content hire experienced freelance writers, editors, and filmmakers to work on projects for sites like eHow, LiveStrong.com, and YouTube. — Mary Hunt, Woman's Day, "8 Easy Ways to Make Money Online," 12 June 2018 Cruiskeen is a mostly one-person operation that sometimes uses freelance consultants, according to its website. — Jack Gillum And Jeff Kao, Ars Technica, "File-sharing software on state election servers could expose them to intruders," 5 Nov. 2018 In a possible acknowledgment of the potential value of such outsiders, Putin signed a decree last week making information about freelance agents who help Russia's foreign intelligence services a state secret, according to Russian news agencies. — Angela Charlton And Matthew Bodner, Fox News, "Russian meddling abroad: Does Putin pull all the strings?," 15 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

By giving floaters an office, coworking spaces like Midori.so have started to legitimize the idea of freelancing in Japan; WeWork plans to have 12 locations in Tokyo by the end of the year. — Ellen Freeman, Curbed, "I lived in a Tokyo coworking space," 28 Sep. 2018 According to an annual study commissioned by Upwork, a platform for freelance workers, more than 1 in 3 Americans freelanced in 2018. — Gaby Del Valle, Vox, "Amazon is cutting costs with its own delivery service — but its drivers don’t receive benefits," 26 Dec. 2018 In yet another 2018 IPO, the freelancing startup Upwork has filed to go public. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Facebook is succeeding in spite of itself," 25 July 2018 Winters’ passion for the Capital had led her to freelance there for decades before she was finally hired as a reporter. — Aubrey Whelan, Philly.com, "'It's a remarkable thing … we've got to protect.' In shooting's wake, a Maryland town embraces its newspaper," 30 June 2018 In 2001, Nack left Sports Illustrated and freelanced for numerous publications, including ESPN and GQ. — Charlotte Carroll, SI.com, "Veteran Writer William Nack Dies," 14 Apr. 2018 After dropping out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Harris started freelancing for small businesses in the city, helping them with marketing plans. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "This platform connects emerging companies with vetted freelance talent to grow," 14 June 2018 Bryan previously freelanced for the Raleigh News & Observer and had a regular podcast on the changing media landscape. — Alexei Koseff, sacbee, "California tried a new voting system. What we can learn from the experiment," 11 June 2018 In January, Rincon began freelancing with the Chronicle and Villager. — Staff Reports, Houston Chronicle, "New reporter joins The Woodlands Villager," 1 June 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.

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Dictionary Entries near freelance

Statistics for freelance

Last Updated

9 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for freelance

The first known use of freelance was in 1819

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More Definitions for freelance

freelance

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of freelance

: 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

See the full definition for freelance in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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