freelance

play

noun free·lance \ ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s \

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

Where: 877 Hornblend St., Pacific Beach Phone: (858) 412-3312 Online: pueblopb.com Coddon is a freelance writer.

— david coddon, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Baja Med-inspired cuisine is served with style at Pueblo in Pacific Beach," 30 Aug. 2017
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Savana Chacon has 10 digs, four aces as Crown Point sweeps Lake Central," 29 Aug. 2017
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.

— blake baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Nick Calcagno scores four TDs as Naperville North overcomes 42-0 deficit," 29 Aug. 2017
Mary G. Pepitone is a freelance writer who lives in Leawood.

— mary g. pepitone, kansascity, "Potato salad with a twist in time for Labor Day celebrations," 29 Aug. 2017
Tim Tierney is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.

— tim tierney, Daily Southtown, "Boys cross country preview: Dylan Jacobs looks to put Sandburg in lead," 28 Aug. 2017
Associated Press freelance writer Jess Myers contributed to this report.

— dave campbell, The Seattle Times, "49ers’ Eric Reid resumes national anthem kneel," 27 Aug. 2017
BalartInterviewOnTheRomanShow About Rodolfo Roman Rodolfo Roman is a freelance writer and TV producer and reporter.

— posted jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Cuban MMA fighter Gustavo Balart of Titan FC on The Roman Show," 14 Aug. 2017
Along with Paloma and Madeline, the group includes The WW Club founder and freelance writer Phoebe Lovatt, stylist Camille Garmendia, filmmaker Grace LaDoja, and founder of WAH Nails Sharmadean Reid.

— ariana marsh, Teen Vogue, "The International Girl Crew Designs Sneakers for Nike," 8 Aug. 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

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

—

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

One of his first freelance articles was for the November/December 2014 issue of the University of Pennsylvania alumni magazine, the Pennsylvania Gazette, on his experiences being embedded with the Donbas Battalion in Ukraine.

— mark fazlollah, Philly.com, "Philly area freelance journalist killed covering South Sudan civil war," 26 Aug. 2017
Reach freelance restaurant critic Lindsey McClave at lindsey@foodie-girl.com.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "Gralehaus is one of the restaurants making Louisville shine | Review," 23 Aug. 2017
Within the same district, City College has new certificate programs in cyber security, global developmental studies, digital and freelance photography, special-effects makeup and other fields.

— gary warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Community colleges focus more on career education as classes start," 19 Aug. 2017
A 2016 McKinsey Global Institute survey put the freelance population at 20 to 30 percent across the U.S. and Europe.

— alexia elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Freelance marketplace Upwork opens Chicago office, expects staff of 100," 2 Aug. 2017
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

First Known Use of freelance

1891

Other Business Terms

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

freelance

verb

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

There are side gigs like renting out a room on Airbnb, dog sitting through a site like Rover, folding laundry via TaskRabbit or freelancing on Upwork.

— nerdwallet, USA TODAY, "Millennials, here’s how to retire by age 40," 8 Aug. 2017
Some hospitals, including UC Davis Health, have responded by freelancing doctors out to local health centers, Williams said.

— alexandra yoon-hendricks, sacbee, "Why more Medi-Cal patients ended up at the ER after UC Davis cut their primary care," 8 Aug. 2017
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
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

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