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

Use agencies, freelancers and automation for non-core tasks. —Jonathan Low, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The authority notes that with high numbers of freelancers in creative industries, fair competition for talent is essential for both worker welfare and business growth. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

For freelancers, content creators, or solo founders juggling SEO on their own, Blazly might replace a few expensive subscriptions and a few hours of manual work per week. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025

So, sites like Hampr aim to take the pressure off by offering to have freelancers pick up, wash, fold and deliver your laundry. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for freelancer

• enhancer
• merganser
• romancer
• anser
• answer
• cancer
• dancer
• lancer
• anticancer
• necromancer