as in to beg
to live by relying on someone else's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility after college, he freeloaded off his parents for several years before finally moving out

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Example Sentences

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 freeload And again summer approaches and one must sift through all those spoiling invitations that inevitably come rolling in when one is an indolent (and impoverished) European aristocrat — who needs to freeload off the rich and hardworking. James Fallon, Footwear News, 24 May 2025 Minutes before Carney’s arrival, Trump set a contentious tone by accusing Canada of freeloading on trade and the nations’ geopolitical alliance. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025 Dreux has entrusted Alyssa with delivering Uche’s money before the first of the month—but instead, Alyssa has asked her layabout, freeloading boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) to put the money in Uche’s hands. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 Apr. 2025 If only Alyssa hadn’t entrusted the money to her freeloading boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua David Neal). Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for freeload
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freeload
beg
Verb
  • Guerrero kept waving, begging for a challenge to erase the mistake.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In a throwback to the warts-and-all silliness of the family’s legendary MTV reality show, The Osbournes, Coming Home appears to lean into the domestic comedy of the Osbourne clan, opening with a jittery Ozzy begging Sharon to stop driving in a herky-jerky manner.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Freeload.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freeload. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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