freeloader

as in parasite
a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return a freeloader who apparently intends to live off of his long-suffering parents forever

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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 freeloader Hookworms are freeloaders that live at the host’s expense inside their gut, drinking about two drops of blood per day. Jay Kakade august 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026 The wide-open scam enriched Haitian freeloaders as Bonheur personally netted a million bucks in just two years after Joe Biden rang the dinner bell for every grifter in the Third World. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026 Allied participation should likewise be expanded so that deterrence is shared rather than carried by Washington alone for the benefit of freeloaders who consume Middle Eastern hydrocarbons and fertilizers. Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026 That is to buy Apple stock, the greatest freeloader in this AI race. Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026 Under Bolsonaro, state funding dried up, and the government painted artists as freeloaders wasting taxpayer money. Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026 Campillo objected to that rationale, contending residents of nearby cities shouldn’t be treated the same as tourists or characterized as rich freeloaders for visiting Balboa Park as non-residents of San Diego. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freeloader
parasite
Noun
  • As health officials pointed to a Mexican processing plant run by Taylor Farms as the source of a parasite sickening Americans, the giant produce company rushed to defend itself.
    Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In an uncanny parallel, the DSA’s ties to the modern Democratic Party resemble the host-parasite dynamic between a Glyptapanteles wasp and a caterpillar.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026

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“Freeloader.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freeloader. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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