freestanding
Americanadjective
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(of sculpture or architectural elements) unattached to a supporting unit or background; standing alone.
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not affiliated with others of its kind; independent; autonomous.
a freestanding clinic, not connected with any hospital.
adjective
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standing apart; not attached to or supported by another object
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(in systemic grammar) denoting a clause that can stand alone as a sentence; denoting or being a main clause Compare bound 1
Etymology
Origin of freestanding
Explanation
Freestanding things are unattached or separate from any other structure or support. A freestanding garage isn't connected to a house — it's a separate building. Some houses, like row houses or townhouses, are connected to the house next door, sharing a common wall. Freestanding houses, on the other hand, are completely detached, with space between each. You can also use the adjective freestanding more figuratively, to describe something that isn't reliant or connected: "It's a freestanding literary club — it's completely separate from and independent of the school."
Vocabulary lists containing freestanding
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The method begins by creating ultrathin freestanding silicon nanomembranes from a donor wafer.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
But when petitioners with freestanding innocence claims request habeas review, they are told to try clemency instead.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
Primary baths feature slabs of marble behind a freestanding tub, radiant floor heating, and a glass-enclosed rain shower with a built-in bench.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
But the museum was a defiantly freestanding building, whose vertical jumble of boxes is as essential to its identity as the continuous spiral of the Guggenheim.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Fifty feet away was a set of freestanding elevator doors, their panels etched in silver and iron.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
