FREE RIDER Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

free rider

noun

Definition of free rider

as in parasite

a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return During their fundraising campaign, the public radio station encouraged listeners not to be free riders.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of free rider Fruit, ginger shots, sea moss beverages, tea, and water were on hand, in alignment with her alcohol-free rider and commitment to sobriety. — Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for free rider

Noun

Before this summer’s massive outbreak, the country had never recorded more than a few hundred infections in a single year from this parasite, which can cause watery and at times explosive diarrhea.

— Dylan Scott, Vox, 27 Aug. 2026
By doing the bees' job, Carcache and Bloom hope to figure out whether the plants around the parasite are pollinated more than those further away.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of parasite

Noun

Going to college doesn’t necessarily mean a student is no longer your dependent.

— Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Spouses who file their taxes separately are not each able to claim the same dependent, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance, a trade group for federal student loan servicers.

— Annie Nova, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of dependent

Noun

After seven years of no sleep, grief, and nightmares, Suleyman finally reunites with his mother in Paradise—just as henchmen, cops, and one very bad raid drag him back into hell.

— Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2026
Almost immediately upon showing up, Oliver’s character kills a henchman.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 July 2026

Definition of henchman

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freemen

free rider

free riders

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“Free rider.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20rider. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of free rider

noun

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