freelance

1 of 3

adjective

free·​lance ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s 

1

a

: of, relating to, or being a freelancer : independent

a freelance writer/photographer

freelance careers

working on a freelance basis

b

: done by a freelancer

freelance writing/photography

2

: not sponsored by or affiliated with an organization or authority

a freelance army

The Seoul government reacted sternly to [Sun Myung] Moon's freelance diplomacy, accusing him of "causing a split in national opinion."

—Paul Blustein

freelance adverb

freelance

2 of 3

verb

freelanced; freelancing; freelances

intransitive verb

: to act or work as a freelancer

She freelances for a local newspaper.

… after graduating from the Philadelphia College of Art, he [John Mecray] freelanced as an illustrator and taught drawing classes at his alma mater.

—Nautical World

transitive verb

: to produce as a freelancer

For a while, as he looked about for another book subject, Mr. [Tracy] Kidder freelanced articles for the Atlantic Monthly magazine.

—Edwin McDowell

freelance

3 of 3

noun

plural freelances

1

: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelancer

… the 42-year-old writer, who is now working on a book about Evelyn Waugh and his circle, described himself as a full-time freelance.

—Herbert Mitgang

2

usually free lance plural free lances

a

: a mercenary soldier especially of the Middle Ages : condottiere

b

: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization (such as a political party)

ran for office as a political free lance

"Have you been making your addresses as a free lance or under the auspices of the Speakers' Bureau … ?" she was asked.

—Edwin L. James

Examples of freelance in a Sentence

Adjective

I wrote a freelance article for a nature magazine.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

According to his LinkedIn, Goldberg is now a freelance senior producer. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

The blaze that ravaged the LA suburb of Altadena in January stopped some 50 feet short of the freelance cinematographer’s home, but its plumes filtered through doors and windows, leaving behind lead and other hazardous substances. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025

Verb

Gavrikov’s terrific defensive abilities should mesh well with Fox’s high end freelancing offensively, but cobbling together two decent pairings behind them may be a challenge. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Then Rizza returned to Milan to freelance for brands including Agnona, Max Mara and Emilio Pucci, before launching his brand in 2019. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025

Noun

Her love for journalism began with taking freelance sports photos for her local newspaper, The Fulton Sun, during high school, and her involvement with multiple school publications. —Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025

Sophie Friedman is a freelance travel and food writer based in New York and Marseille, France. —Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1902, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for freelance

• advance
• askance
• enhance
• expanse
• finance
• mischance
• perchance
• romance
• chance
• dance
• glance
• hance

Kids Definition

freelance

noun

ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s

1

usually free lance : a knight whose services could be bought by any ruler or state

2

: a person who pursues a profession without being committed to work for one employer for a long time

a freelance writer

freelance

ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)s

adjective

freelance verb

freelancer

-ˌlan(t)-sər

noun