freelance
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freelance
- /ˈfɹiːlɑːns/ UK
- /ˈfɹiˌlæns/ US
Rhymes with -iːlɑːns
Where it comes from
From free + lance. Coined by Walter Scott (1771–1832) in Ivanhoe (1819; see quotation) to describe a medieval mercenary warrior or "free-lance" (indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord's services). It changed to a figurative noun around the 1860s and was recognized as a verb in 1903 by authorities such as the Oxford English Dictionary. In modern times the term has morphed into an adjective, a verb, and an adverb, as well as the derivative noun freelancer.
noun freelances · free-lance · free lance
- Someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract. The objector, one Millworthy, a free-lance of journalism, was not to be so easily silenced.
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A medieval mercenary.
I—I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them—I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; […] Trust me, Estoteville alone has strength enough to drive all thy Free Lances into the Humber.
Similar: adventurer, bravo, condottiere, filibuster, freebooter, freelance, free companion, hired gun, hireling, hit man, merc, mercenary
adjective more freelance · most freelance · free-lance · free lance
- Of or relating to a freelance; without a long-term employment contract. He was a freelance writer for several magazines.
verb freelances · freelancing · freelanced · free-lance · free lance
- To work as a freelance.
- To produce or sell services as a freelance.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: self-employed, paid, employed, mercenary, independent, self-employed person, self-employment, discrete, autonomous, self-sustaining, self-reliant, temporary, self-governing, separate, stand-alone, self-contained
Translations
Every language
noun someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract
| Español | freelance, free-lance |
|---|---|
| Français | pigiste, freelance |
| Deutsch | freier Mitarbeiter |
| Italiano | libero professionista, freelance |
| Ελληνικά | ελεύθερος επαγγελματίας eléftheros epangelmatías |
| Русский | фрилансер frilanser |
noun medieval mercenary
| Français | mercenaire |
|---|---|
| Italiano | mercenario |
adj of or relating to a freelance
| Español | freelance, free-lance, freelancer, free-lancer, free lancer, por libre |
|---|---|
| Français | à la pige, indépendant |
| Deutsch | freiberuflich |
verb intransitive: to work as a freelance
| Español | trabajar por cuenta propia, currelar por libre, chambear como/de freelance/freelancer |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | ελεύθερος επιχειρηματίας eléftheros epicheirimatías, αυτοαπασχολούμενος aftoapascholoúmenos |
| Русский | фрила́нсить frilánsitʹ |
Talk about this word "freelance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/freelance. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. freelance. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/freelance "freelance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/freelance.Cite this
@misc{freelance_2026,
title = {freelance},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/freelance},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
