freestyle
Americannoun
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freestyles
plural
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Swimming.
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a competition in which any of the standard strokes may be used, according to the swimmer's choice.
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the crawl.
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Wrestling. a style of wrestling in which the contestants are permitted to trip, tackle, and use holds below the waist.
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a sports performance or routine featuring relatively free, unrestricted movement, or intended to demonstrate an individual's special skills or style, such as in figure skating, gymnastics, surfing, or skateboarding.
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Also called freestyle rapping, freestyle rap. a style of rap in which the topic, rhymes, and rhythm are improvised.
Her first breakout rap album was all freestyle.
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a rap that is improvised throughout.
He's known for his freestyles.
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verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a competition or race, as in swimming, in which each participant may use a style of his or her choice instead of a specified style
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an amateur style of wrestling with an agreed set of rules
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Also called: all-in wrestling. a style of professional wrestling with no internationally agreed set of rules
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a series of acrobatics performed in skiing, etc
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( as modifier )
a freestyle event
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of freestyle
Explanation
In sports, a freestyle race allows the athlete to choose between different methods of competing. Swimmers can use any stroke in a freestyle event (though they almost always choose the front crawl). In swimming, freestyle is synonymous with the crawl — but that's only because most swimmers choose to swim this fast stroke in freestyle races. Officially, freestyle offers a choice between crawl, breaststroke, butterfly, or backstroke. Sports that allow for creativity are often described as freestyle, too, like freestyle BMX events and freestyle skiing, both of which involve jumps and tricks. Freestyle was coined from the idea that athletes are free to choose the style they prefer.
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.
See Examples For:
Did he anticipate being sold out by Jay-Z for personal gain, followed by hit pieces and being dissed in a freestyle many years later?
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
He trains regularly with a dance instructor and practices freestyle dancing, from San Francisco to his favorite city, Tokyo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
For instance, the Valley Zone Pavilion is “a backyard-inspired oasis” near venues for 3x3 basketball, modern pentathlon, skateboarding, cycling BMX racing and cycling BMX freestyle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Colbert was third, with 1:55.81, in the women's 200m freestyle final as she finished behind winner Barbora Seemanova, who set a championship record of 1:54.38, with Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands second in 1:54.65.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
First they raced freestyle, then backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
An up-and-coming UK rapper's thanked Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda for "changing my life" after he praised one of her freestyles.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
At the behest of his friends, Towers recorded a handful of freestyles on SoundCloud, most of which “will never again see the light of day,” he says with a laugh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2023
She showed up for Friday’s preliminary round and qualified first in her individual events — the 50- and 100-yard freestyles — despite barely being able to walk.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
In “Heated,” a dancehall-inspired track, the singer uses the words “spaz” and “spazzin’” in an energetically recited portion of the song that’s a callback to the freestyles at some ballroom events.
From New York Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
“I wrote the song, and I came up with the freestyles on the spot just like you’re supposed to do in a battle. What are you trying to say?”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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