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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for free rider
Noun
  • While the chance of people contracting the parasite in the U.S. is low, here's what to know about the New World Screwworm.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Most of the country still hosts species of Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit the Plasmodium parasite, however.
    Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • And dependents cannot multiply your legacy; dependents multiply your liabilities.
    Ken Polk, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Other strains include a massive overextension of the U.S. military, an American defense-industrial complex unable to meet its work orders, and the propping up of security dependents rather than capable allies.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • When the dry season comes, that sponge is slowly squeezed.
    John Meyer, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Not copy per se, but be a sponge and learn from anyone and everyone who can help you.
    True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But things just continue to go wrong for both the brains of the operation (Al Pacino) and his henchman (John Cazale).
    Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Why have a young man who looks exactly the same as the monolithic blockheads who are Perón’s followers and henchmen?
    Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2025
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.

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“Free rider.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free%20rider. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.

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