freelancer

noun

free·​lanc·​er ˈfrē-ˌlan(t)-sər 

plural freelancers

1

: a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer : freelance sense 1

hired a freelancer to write the article

… there were hundreds of photographers on the scene, some on assignment, some freelancers, most of them amateurs.

—Garrison Keillor

But while Renzo is the ultimate company man, a lifetime employee who reports to the same office every morning, Riccardo is the prototypical freelancer, a peripatetic problem-solver with five-dozen clients.

—Bruce Schoenfeld

2

: a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or authorized by an organization : freelance sense 2b

[Anthony] Grafton contrasts public intellectuals outside and inside the universities, and he takes note of today's nostalgia for the freethinkers who lived and wrote independently of deans and classrooms. But it is good to be reminded that in that golden era of freelancers such as Wilson, H. L. Mencken, and Mary McCarthy, voices like theirs were also raised in universities.

—G. W. Bowersock

Examples of freelancer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The freelancer’s face was burned and his jaw was split open. —Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

As a freelancer, there won't be a shortage of tasks to do. —Sho Dewan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

In this damning dissection, Intercept journalists lay bare the decisions that led to the story’s publication in the first place, some of which one of the freelancers, Anat Schwartz, articulated in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 news. —Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024

These cities, known for their warm climates and economic opportunities, are attracting remote workers, freelancers, and startups seeking flexible workspace solutions. —Dasha Shunina, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Israel accused Hamza, and a freelancer killed alongside him, of being members of militant groups — a claim the network strongly denies. —Joe Snell, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024

Fueled by Cuban coffee Rodríguez has done his most significant work as a freelancer. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

Although millions of workers in the U.S. are turning to freelancing as an alternative career path to the traditional employment route, approximately 59% of freelancers are living pay check to pay check according to Zippia. —Rachel Wells, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

The piece, which was written by a Pulitzer Prize-winner and two Israeli freelancers with very little journalism experience, has since come under scrutiny. —Seyward Darby, Longreads, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1